Who pays for US elections and what do they get? Josh Rushing asks Lawrence Lessig and Bradley Smith.
The 2026 midterm elections are on track to be the most expensive in the history of the United States, with a record $11.6bn in political advertisements alone. Independent expenditure-only political action committees, or super PACs, dark money and billionaire donors now shape who runs and who wins, yet voters of both parties say money has too much power.
Josh Rushing asks two leading experts who is paying, what they are buying and whether the system can change.
Contributors:
Lawrence Lessig – Professor of law and leadership, Harvard Law School
Bradley Smith – Professor of law, Capital University
Published On 20 Oct 2026
