Big-Money Interests in Small-State Politics: Demystifying the connection between Super PAC activity and Hawaiʻi’s election outcomes
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2020
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University of Hawaii at Manoa
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Since the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission
(2010), there has been much public discussion and scholarly research regarding the effects of
Super PACs on American elections. However, much of this research falls short of characterizing
the effects of Super PACs at the state and local levels. In addition, because of Hawaiʻi’s unique
history and political landscape, I argue that past Super PAC research is not entirely applicable to
Hawaiʻi politics. Therefore, the present study characterizes the effects of Super PACs specifically
on recent Hawaiʻi elections. With a focus on both quantitative and qualitative data collection,
this exploratory study puts the results of my elite survey methodology in conversation with what
is already known about Super PACs locally and nationally. As a result of this investigation, I
have generally concluded that (1) Super PAC activity have indeed greatly influenced recent
Hawaiʻi election outcomes, (2) Super PACs have influenced Hawaiʻi elections in at least two
specific ways, (3) perceptions and attitudes toward Super PAC activity in Hawaiʻi can vary
greatly depending on who is asked, and (4) despite this variance, there is some agreement
regarding what changes should be made to current campaign finance laws. The findings of this
research help to demystify the understudied connection between Super PAC activity and Hawaiʻi
politics. With these research as a conversation starter, I also encourage additional, more robust
quantitative (i.e., statistical) investigations into the effects of Super PACs on Hawaiʻi politics.
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74 pages
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