Nearly seven in 10 registered voters would like super PACs to be illegal, including more than half who feel that way strongly, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Sixty-nine percent of all Americans and voters alike say super PACs, a fundraising vehicle that allows wealthy donors to make unlimited donations in support of a particular candidate or party, should be banned. Just 25 percent said they should remain legal.
Those numbers were even more startling among political independents, 78 percent (!) of whom say super PACs should be illegal. (Full question wording is at the end of this post.)
The widespread disgust directed toward super PACs from voters comes amid a Republican presidential primary election season in which these organizations have played an outsized role.
Restore Our Future, the super PAC supporting former Massachusetts governorMitt Romney, has already spent nearly $34 million in early presidential primary states on his behalf. Winning Our Future, a super PAC aligned with former House speaker Newt Gingrich, has already dropped $16 million — most of which comes from the personal checkbook of casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. The Red, White & Blue Fund, a super PAC supporting former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, has spent almost $6 million.
