The first official debate in the Republican presidential primaries comes up later this week, on Thursday night. This past weekend was a milestone as well. New disclosures reveal the extent to which super PACs funded by ultra-wealthy donors have outraised the candidates’ own campaigns. And five of the GOP candidates auditioned before an elite set of contributors who collectively have pledged nearly a billion dollars for this election cycle.
Travis Ridout, a political scientist at Washington State University, says the political system has turned a corner. “The way that candidates are seeking money and obtaining money for the campaigns really has changed.”
Ridout is with the Wesleyan Media Project, which tracks political ads on television.
“The worry under the current system is that it’s just billionaires whose views are being heard and not the views of, frankly, the rest of the American public,” Ridout said.