Why, it’s part of campaign financing in the US

US presidential elections are very expensive. More funding should be given to election campaigns. Business AM He talked about it with Herman Matthijs, professor of public finance and political structures in the United States.

Listen to Professor Matthijs’ full interview here:

Essence: In addition to federal party funding, American parties also require private sponsorship. Campaign costs have skyrocketed. However, private sponsors have the same policy.

• Matthijs: “There is general party funding at the federal level, which is monitored by the Central Election Commission. If a presidential candidate receives at least one of the 538 electoral votes in the Electoral College, you can get your campaign money back. But in recent decades, only Democrats and Republicans have gained electoral votes. So the other parties in the US have to pay for everything themselves.
• “In 2000, the total cost of a campaign was only 3 billion, and in 2020 we’re already at 14 billion, so that’s a huge explosion. Campaign organization is especially expensive, especially on social media. Prime-time election campaigns on a major network cost more than a million dollars per minute. .Then your own money and general party funds are not enough.

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• “Sponsorship is allowed in the US, but it should be pointed out. It is notable that unions and environmental groups donate heavily to the Democratic Party, while the arms industry and the chemical industry tend to support the Republican Party,” notes the professor.
• “Environmental groups and unions are not going to pay that kind of money. Whoever pays them is going to demand that something be done for them. These can be appointments, but they can also be in the legal field. The pipeline from Alaska to America is not a problem for Trump, while Biden creates some problems again,” Matthijs quotes. “It’s very difficult to measure, we don’t know how many donations are given.”