The hidden story of Citizens United

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Editor’s note: This is a response to a story on the Gateway Journalism Review website written by William H. Freivogel titled “Election results show super PACs can’t buy Republican victories.”

The hidden story of Citizens United this year and for the next couple of years (assuming it’s still in place) isn’t at the federal level — there’s just too much campaign, party and party committee money in the presidential and senate races for the outside money to have a significant influence. But for state- and municipal-level races, it’s a different story. How much would it take to blanket a few state assembly districts in each state with enough money to flip a bunch of statehouses? How much would it take to overrun the judicial election process across some big states? How about replicating Proposition 13 in growing and purpling states like North Carolina and Virginia? Races like these have a lot less money in them to start with, which means that corporate cash could control a much more lopsided debate.

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