The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) held a discussion on developments in campaign finance during the 2012 election cycle. Experts and campaign veterans discussed the impact of outside groups, Super PACs, and recent court decisions on campaigns across the country. The Campaign Finance Institute presented its analysis on the newly released Second Quarter Federal Elections Commission Data. What effects will these developments have on the presidential election and hundreds of congressional, senate, and local races this November? And will Super PACs help determine who holds the House, Senate, or White House?

Read the press release here.

Panel Discussion Co-moderated by

Secretary Dan Glickman
Senior Fellow, Bipartisan Policy Center
Former Representative from Kansas

John Fortier
Director, BPC'S Democracy Project

Panelists

Michael Malbin
Executive Director, Campaign Finance Institute

Bob Biersack
Senior Fellow, Center for Responsive Politics
Former Special Assistant to the Staff Director, Federal Election Commission

Robert Kelner
Partner, Covington & Burling LLP

Eliza Newlin Carney
Staff Writer, CQ Roll Call

Read the Press Release: Bipartisan Policy Center to Discuss Campaign Finance in 2012 Presidential Election

BPC's 2012 Election Series

State of the Union: The Speechwriters' Perspective
January 24, 2012

As President Obama prepared to give the last State of the Union address of his first term, BPC launched an examination of the politics and policy impacting the upcoming presidential and congressional elections. From campaign- and election- themed events to policy debates, the year-long BPC effort began on January 24 with former White House speechwriters anticipating and framing the president's speech later that evening and the Republican response. The conversation explored the mechanics of writing a speech of such magnitude, the additional political pressures speechwriters face in an election year, and the expected reaction from the media and Republican presidential candidates.

The Presidential Primary System: How Well Does it Serve American Democracy?
March 8, 2012

This year's rollercoaster primary season raises many questions: Is primary voter turnout too low? Why do some states use party caucuses and can we count the voters accurately? Should we all vote on one day or in regional primaries? Just two days after Super Tuesday, BPC examined these questions and more in an analysis of the pros and cons of the current presidential primary system. The panel highlighted the release of a new report on 2012 primary turnout by Curtis Gans, the nation's leading expert on voter turnout.

The Future of Red and Blue: How Changing Party Demographics Will Impact the 2012 Election and Beyond
April 11, 2012

Is there a demographic trend that favors either party? Ruy Teixeira, author of The Emerging Democratic Majority, has argued that the Democratic future is bright with the growth of the Hispanic vote and the move of younger educated voters to the Democratic Party. Sean Trende, in his recently released The Lost Majority: Why the Future of Government Is Up for Grabs - and Who Will Take It, argues that the future is less certain for Republicans and Democrats. Both the Reagan coalition and the Clinton/Obama coalition have fractures, and there is no clear indication of what the future holds.

The Vanishing Moderate Republican
May 1, 2012

Where have all the moderate Republicans gone? A generation ago, both parties had significant moderate wings. But each election has yielded a hollower middle, and today the political parties are much more clearly divided into conservative and liberal camps. BPC hosted a panel of experts on the disappearance of political centrists from the Republican Party.

The Vanishing Moderate Democrat
June 20, 2012

Following BPC's recent Election Series examination of the decline of the moderate Republican, BPC hosted former policymakers, academics and journalists for a frank discussion about similar trends faced by the Democrats. What forces are at work in the Democratic Party? How are they different than those in the GOP? How have they impacted both regional and intraparty races? And what can we expect as a result this November?

Democracy Project, 2012 Politics