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Super PACs a Mixed Blessing for Second-Tier Democrats

Early spending in the Democratic presidential race highlights how super PACs may play a key role in many campaigns even as the candidates rail against the committees.

"The Democratic Party's liberal activists warn of super PACs drowning out the voices of average voters and have sought to make rejecting big money a litmus test for Democratic candidates, CNN reports. "In a field crowded with candidates competing for campaign dollars, however, super PACs offer a route for little-known candidates to break out."


Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker are the only democratic presidential aspirants who are aligned with a super PAC so far. A half-dozen of the 14 declared candidates have said they will not accept super PAC support.

The situation for the Democrats is analogous to what happened on the Republican side in both 2012 and 2016, when the campaigns of second-tier candidates were kept afloat for months by sympathetic super PACs. The Democrats have not had such a wide-open nominating contest since the 2010 Citizens United ruling remade the world of campaign financing.

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U.S. Constitution
Imagining constitutions
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A Bold Civic Renaissance for America’s 250th

Every September 17, Americans mark Constitution Day—the anniversary of the signing of our nation’s foundational charter in 1787. The day is often commemorated with classroom lessons and speaking events, but it is more than a ceremonial anniversary. It is an invitation to ask: What does it mean to live under a constitution that was designed as a charge for each generation to study, debate, and uphold its principles? This year, as we look toward the semiquincentennial of our nation in 2026, the question feels especially urgent.

The decade between 1776 and 1787 was defined by a period of bold and intentional nation and national identity building. In that time, the United States declared independence, crafted its first national government, won a war to make their independence a reality, threw out the first government when it failed, and forged a new federal government to lead the nation. We stand at a similar inflection point. The coming decade, from the nation’s semiquincentennial in 2026 to the Constitution’s in 2037, offers a parallel opportunity to reimagine and reinvigorate our American civic culture. Amid the challenges we face today, there’s an opportunity to study, reflect, and prepare to write the next chapters in our American story—it is as much about the past 250 years, as it is about the next 250 years. It will require the same kind of audacious commitment to building for the future that was present at the nation’s outset.

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