campaign finance reform

A movement, fueled in recent decades by political candidates' increasing dependence on expensive television advertisements, to restrict the amount of money that individuals and interest groups can contribute to political campaigns. Although limits have been placed on individual contributions, a loophole has been left for political action committees. Both parties pay lip service to the principle of campaign finance reform, but neither fully supports it. Some liberals see it as the best way to secure the independence of politicians from moneyed interests; some conservatives view it as a threat to freedom of speech.