Campaign Finance

“It's a charade played by candidates,” said campaign finance expert Paul S. Ryan of the good government group Common Cause. “Their lawyers have told them, 'Keep your mouth shut, because if you don’t, there are legal ramifications. But the FEC will let us get away with it if you just stay quiet.'”

“Both major parties have a dependence on big money donors that undermines democracy,” said Paul S. Ryan, vice president for policy and litigation at the nonprofit watchdog group Common Cause.

“He’s doing really important work for voting rights that benefits all voters, but he’s also pushed for a deregulation of money in politics that serves the interests of the wealthy,” said Paul S. Ryan, the vice president of policy and litigation for the nonpartisan government watchdog group Common Cause.

"We see strong support for these initiatives from independents, Democrats and Republicans," said Karen Hobert Flynn, president of Common Cause. "The question is whether incumbent officials will wake up to understand that people really do want democracy and that power belongs to the people."

Jay Young, executive director of Common Cause Illinois, said the explosion in self-funding "feels as though if you have enough money, you can capture whatever office you want just off the strength of that money alone. It shifts power away from people who should be holding the power -- ordinary voters."

The average challenger in a House race in the 2014 midterms had about $60,000 of “cash on hand,” as it’s called. The average Senate challenger had about $750,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington. Wait until you see what candidates have in their coffers for this election. Common Cause's Stephen Spaulding talks with Kimberly Adams about where it's all going.