In the wake of recent legislation, court challenges, and demands for reform, campaign finance remains one of the most important and controversial aspects of the world's oldest democracy. Since 1960, Financing the Election volumes have presented reliable information on the costs and trends of campaign finance in the United States. In establishing the parameters of electoral campaigns and political spending—and interpreting the results—Financing the 2004 Election provides a unique resource for readers and citizens interested in the current state of politics and money in America. F inancing the 2004 Election incorporates many of the features that have made previous editions so important. It employs authoritative analysis of spending by interest groups, political parties, and individual candidates, including data that enables examination of long-term trends. The contributors, all eminent political analysts, also examine spending patterns in different types of elections, including Senate and House races. This timely new volume pays special attention to the effects of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA). It contrasts campaign finance in 2004 with the ways in which national campaigns were financed before BCRA. The authors also draws lessons from 2004 for future reforms at the state and federal levels.

“Although the book addresses a topic that many find confusing, the authors explain terms and issues clearly and concisely and make the topic easily accessible to the lay reader. The book offers insightful analysis of the important questions surrounding campaign finance laws and is an excellent resource for anyone interested in money and campaigns. Essential.”—CHOICE

David B. Magleby is dean of the School of Family, Home, and Social Sciences at Brigham Young University, where he is also a professor of political science. He is the editor of Financing the 2000 Election (Brookings 2002), and coauthor of Government by the People, which is now in its twenty-first edition. Anthony Corrado is the Charles J. Dana Professor of Government at Colby College and a nonresident senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. He is a coeditor of Campaign Finance Reform: A Sourcebook and coauthor of The New Campaign Finance Sourcebook, both published by Brookings. Kelly D. Patterson directs the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at Brigham Young University. He is the author of Political Parties and the Maintenance of Liberal Democracy (Columbia University Press).