Political parties, political action committees, and individuals who make large contributions comprise the most important sources of money in congressional election campaigns. These actors have improved their institutional resources and increased their campaign activities since the passage of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 and its amendments. Nevertheless, political scientists know relatively little about how the development of these actors has influenced their contribution stragegies in elections for the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. One school of thought holds that those who invest large sums of money in federal elections adapt gradually to their environment and are therefore slow to change their contribution strategies. This body of theory would predict that PACs, parties and individuals would have difficulty departing from established patterns of behavior, even under radically different circumstances. A second school of thought maintains that campaign contributors are strategic actors who constantly survey the political environment in order to take advantage of opportunities created by political change. This theory would predict that parties, PACs, and individuals would rapidly adjust their contribution behavior in response to an altered political environment. The 1992 election cycle promises to be radically different from those held during the last 12 years because of a confluence of factors, including redistricting, a large number of congressional retirements, a presidential election, and political scandals. These factors will lead to an election cycle characterized by many highly qualified candidates competing for a limited reservoir of money. The unusual qualities of the 1992 elections provide the research team with a unique opportunity to assess the two schools of thought. This investigation will examine changes in patterns of party, PAC, and individual contributions to incumbents, challengers, open-seat contestants, Democrats, and Republicans over the course of the 1978 through 1992 election cycles. It will assess the impact of national political conditions, such as the state of the economy, the popularity of the president, and political scandals, on the strategies of these contributors. It will evaluate how organizational development and learning have affected their campaign decision making. It will also evaluate the impact that Washington-based organizations, such as national party committees and lead PACs, have on the contributions of individuals and other organized contributors. The project will culminate in a unique and comprehensive set of campaign finance data. It will lead to the development of several generalizations about the organizational evolution of political parties and PACs. It will also enhance our understanding of how these organizations and individuals interact in the context of congressional election campaigns.
