money speaks louder
than votes

The Dangers of Unchecked Political Donations

The influence of wealth on politics has reached unprecedented levels, largely due to mechanisms like super PACs and loopholes in campaign finance laws. While federal regulations technically impose limits on how much individuals can directly contribute to candidates per election as of 2024 wealthy donors bypass these restrictions by funneling money into super PACs. These entities can accept unlimited donations and spend freely to support or oppose candidates, provided they do not coordinate directly with campaigns. This blurred line of “independent” action allows ultra-wealthy individuals to exert outsized influence.

For example, during the 2024 election cycle, megadonors contributed upwards of $5 million each to PACs supporting prominent candidates, doubling the amounts seen in previous cycles. These donors effectively control significant parts of the political narrative, funding targeted ads, misinformation campaigns, and mobilizing voters in ways inaccessible to average citizens. Candidates who benefit from such contributions are often beholden to the interests of their benefactors, sidelining the needs of ordinary constituents​.

The result is a political landscape where money speaks louder than votes. Grassroots campaigns struggle to compete, as corporate-backed PACs and billionaires dominate messaging and policy influence. Advocates for reform argue for stricter caps on donations and spending, including regulations to prevent super PACs from coordinating with campaigns. Transparency initiatives, such as requiring full disclosure of donors, could also help mitigate the influence of “dark money” in elections​.

Without significant reform, the democratic principle of equal representation risks eroding, leaving governance increasingly dictated by the wealthiest few rather than the collective voice of the people.

Examples of how much money from select donors pour into established, non-grassroots, campaigns:

• Andrew Cuomo gave $25,601,078.78 to the NYS Democratic Committee
• Michael Bloomberg Total Contributions: $133,289,064.40.
• George Soros has contributed: $4,725,900.00 to various elections in NYS over the years including $1 million to the Color of Change Pac in 2021, $815,000 to the New York Justice Public Safety Pac in 2019, $750,000 to the NYS Democratic Committee (Housekeeping) in 2013.

Campaign finance disclosure reports are public information. They are on the Board’s Public Reporting website for the express purpose of transparency.