The Influence of Corporate Money in the 2024 Election: Is Democracy for Sale?

As the 2024 election cycle heats up, one question looms large: how much influence does corporate money have over American democracy? With billions of dollars pouring into campaign coffers through Political Action Committees (PACs), Super PACs, and dark money groups, many Americans are beginning to wonder if their votes matter as much as the donations of powerful corporations. The influence of corporate money in politics is not a new phenomenon, but the sheer scale of spending in modern elections has reached unprecedented levels.

At the heart of this issue is the 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which opened the floodgates for unlimited spending by corporations and unions in elections. The ruling allowed these entities to spend freely on “independent expenditures,” such as advertisements and other forms of electioneering, as long as they didn’t directly coordinate with candidates’ campaigns. In the wake of Citizens United, Super PACs emerged as major players in U.S. elections, collecting vast sums from corporate donors and wealthy individuals to support or attack candidates.

The 2024 election is no exception, with corporate money flowing in to influence key races across the country. Candidates from both major parties are benefiting from the…