The Cash Ceiling: Why Only the Rich Ones Run for Office— And What we Can Do about It

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By Nicholas Carnes *11

Published Sept. 5, 2018

The Cash Ceiling (Princeton University Press), as Nicholas Carnes *11 calls it, keeps working-class Americans from running for political office, but it doesn't have to. He argues that programs to recruit and support working-class citizens could increase economic diversity in our government and make it more representative.

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The September 2026 cover of PAW, featuring the headline "Minds at Play" written in game pieces — crossword, Scrabble, and Rubics Cube.
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