Bought and Sold

We're a year out from the midterm elections next November. Control of Congress hangs in the balance. Democrats are itching to rein in President Trump, while Republicans are pulling out every stop to keep power.

But behind the headlines, the real game is being played by billionaires. If the 2024 bromance between Trump and Elon Musk taught us anything, it’s that the richest Americans can pull the strings of democracy. 

In our penultimate episode of this season, we break down how the ultra-wealthy have doubled down on their political giving over the last decade, using their money to support candidates who align with their worldview. Year over year, their giving grows, stoking fears that our elected leaders are more beholden to these donors. 

Campaign finance reform and landmark Supreme Court decisions, like Buckley v. Valeo and Citizens United v. FEC, have transformed money into a form of speech. With super PACs and massive political spending dominating the conversation, are wealthy donors compromising the integrity of our democratic process?

Special guests:

• Rick Hasen, political science professor and director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA
• Saurav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform at Campaign Legal Center
• Josh Blank, research director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin
• Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas

This episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens.

Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.