Money in Politics This Week

The Brennan Center regularly compiles the latest news concerning the corrosive nature of money in New York State politics—and the ongoing need for public financing and robust campaign finance reform. We’ll also be linking to dispatches from around the country highlighting the national scope of this crisis. This week’s links were contributed by Katherine Munyan and Syed Zaidi. 

For more stories on an ongoing basis, follow the Twitter hashtag #moNeYpolitics and #fairelex.

NEW YORK

Senator Warren Prods New York to Pass Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform

Last week, at St. Peter’s Church in New York City, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman gave rousing speeches touching on campaign finance reform. Senator Warren explained the connection between the country’s broken campaign finance laws and growing income inequality. “We’ve got a government that works all too well for the rich and the powerful, and all too little for everyone else,” Warren said. She insisted that campaign finance reform should be a top priority for New York State. “Your governor has said, ‘Let’s attack money in politics head-on. Let’s go for campaign finance reform,’” Warren stated. “All I can say is go, go, go, GO!” Attorney General Schneiderman praised Governor Andrew Cuomo for including a public financing proposal in the budget. “The fact that the [public campaign finance] coalition was powerful enough to get the language included in the budget was a huge breakthrough,” Schneiderman said. However, he emphasized that constituents must keep the pressure on the governor and the legislature in the coming months in order to get it passed.

Public Financing Can Restore Public’s Trust in Elected Officials

In the Times-Union last Thursday, NY LEAD member and chairwoman of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, Cynthia DiBartolo, and executive director of Citizen Action, Karen Scharff, authored an op-ed urging New Yorkers to help make campaign finance reform a reality in the state. Now that Governor Andrew Cuomo has included comprehensive election reform in his executive budget, the only obstacle that remains is the leadership in the Senate. Senate Co-leader Dean Skelos has voiced his opposition to the reform because it would allow candidates to qualify for public matching funds if they meet certain qualifying criteria. However, another prominent Republican, Onondaga county district attorney Bill Fitzpatrick—who is investigating public corruption in the state as the co-chair of the Moreland Commission—thinks public financing would be an excellent use of public money, leading to long-term savings for taxpayers. Despite representing very different organizations, both authors agreed that public financing can help “restore the public’s trust that our elected officials are really listening to New Yorkers.”

Democrat and Chronicle: Cuomo Must Continue Reform’s Momentum

A Democrat and Chronicle editorial on Monday pressed Governor Cuomo to continue the push for campaign finance reform through the remainder of the session. While praising Cuomo for including the proposal in his executive budget, the editorial insisted that the effort requires “far more attention.” Recent polls demonstrate that the vast majority of New Yorkers favor the proposal. A December report by the state’s anti-corruption commission highlighted the problems with the current system: poor oversight, high contribution limits, and extensive loopholes for major donors. It is no surprise that more than half a dozen state lawmakers were engulfed in scandals last legislative session. “Ultimately, if he’s serious on this front, the governor will need to prove it by making additional ethics reforms a priority this year,” the editorial concluded.

Rep. Grimm’s Actions Call Attention to Campaign Finance Scandal

U.S. Representative Michael Grimm’s (R-NY) recent on-camera altercation with a reporter has brought questions regarding his campaign finances to the forefront of public scrutiny. In an interview following President Obama’s State of the Union address, Grimm threatened to throw a reporter off the Capitol balcony for asking questions about a campaign finance scandal. The reporter was referring to the arrest of Grimm’s fundraiser Diana Durand by the FBI for allegedly contributing more than $10,000 to Grimm’s 2010 campaign via straw donors. In an earlier scandal in 2012, the New York Times reported that Grimm asked for campaign donations from undocumented immigrants. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has requested that the Office of Congressional Ethics investigate whether Grimm’s behavior with the reporter violates House Rules. In 2012, CREW singled out Grimm as one of the 13 most corrupt members of Congress.

NATIONAL

Republican Governors Association Raises Record Funds for 2014

The Republican Governors Association (RGA) announced this week that it raised $50 million in 2013 in preparation for the 2014 election cycle. Thirty-six states have gubernatorial races coming up this fall, the most in any one year since 2009 – and last year’s fundraising total was 66 percent higher than 2009’s.  The RGA spent $35 million on television ads and PAC donations in 2012, making it the top outside spender at the state level, and, in 2010, it spent more than the five largest conservative super PACs and 501(c) groups combined. A Mother Jones analysis of the RGA’s election spending strategies shows the RGA using a network of state level PACs to shuffle money through different states, which has the potential to obscure the identity of its donors and circumvent local campaign finance laws.    

Conservative Author, Director Indicted for Alleged Illegal Campaign Contributions

Dinesh D’Souza, an author and documentary director known for his criticisms of President Obama, was indicted last Thursday on charges of making illegal campaign contributions.  The indictment alleges that D’Souza directed $20,000 in campaign contributions to a 2012 Senate candidate, violating the Fair Election Campaign Act’s limitations on an individual’s contribution to any one candidate to $2,500 during the primary and general campaign.  D’Souza allegedly funneled the contributions through “straw donors,” telling associates to make campaign contributions that he later reimbursed. Sen. Ted Cruz (R – Tex.) and others have claimed that the indictment is political retribution for D’Souza’s criticism of Obama.

More Montana Candidates Accused of Campaign Violations in 2010 Elections

The Montana state commissioner of political practices, Jonathan Motl, has ruled that two 2010 legislative candidates, Joel Boniek and Terry Bannon, illegally coordinated attack ads with an outside spending group and took unreported in-kind donations of costs associated with producing and distributing mailings. Motl previously issued findings against three other candidates for campaign violations in 2010, and says that additional candidates will be implicated in forthcoming rulings. All rulings involve illegal contributions from and candidate coordination with a non-profit corporation, Western Tradition Partnership (WTP) and its affiliated direct mail services.  WTP claimed to be an educational group, but a state judge ruled last year that it acted as a political committee and must therefore disclose its donors and spending. A former attorney for the group claims that the group is no longer active, and WTP has not responded to any of Motl’s rulings. According to Motl, “It’s the candidates who are going to bear the primary social debt for these actions. I’m not certain the non-candidate actors are going to be around.”

Money in Politics This Week

The Brennan Center regularly compiles the latest news concerning the corrosive nature of money in New York State politics—and the ongoing need for public financing and robust campaign finance reform. We’ll also be linking to dispatches from around the country highlighting the national scope of this crisis. This week’s links were contributed by Katherine Munyan and Syed Zaidi. 

For more stories on an ongoing basis, follow the Twitter hashtag #moNeYpolitics and #fairelex.

NEW YORK

Gov. Cuomo Proposes Public Financing of Elections in Budget

In his executive budget proposal to the legislature this week, Governor Andrew Cuomo included legislation advancing reforms to the state’s campaign finance, disclosure and election laws. Under the proposal, contributions up to $175 to state legislative candidates would be matched with public financing at a 6-to-1 ratio, starting in 2016. Then in 2018, candidates for state-wide office would also be eligible for the voluntary public financing program. Participating candidates would have to abide by strict contribution and spending limits in exchange for the public funds. “I think it is inarguable that the amount of money in politics has created a number of difficult issues,” Cuomo stated in his executive budget presentation. Other proposals in the budget were lower corporate contribution limits, down to $1,000 per year, new limits on donations to party “housekeeping accounts” at $25,000 per year, detailed prohibitions on using campaign contributions for the personal benefit of a candidate, and disclosure of major donors supporting organizations engaged in independent expenditures. The law would also create an Independent Division of Election Law Enforcement in the State Board of Elections, with a budget of $5.3 million and additional staff to support enforcement of campaign and election rules.

Sixty-four Percent of New Yorkers Support Public Financing of Campaigns

Once again, a majority of New Yorkers across various demographics have come out in support of public financing of election campaigns according to a Siena College Research Institute Poll released this week. The survey asked registered voters in the state whether they favor creating a “system of public campaign financing” that limits “the size of political contributions to candidates,” and uses “state money to match smaller contributions to candidates.” Overall, 64 percent replied in the affirmative. A majority of Democrats and Independents, 71 percent and 66 percent respectively, and a plurality of Republicans, 49 percent, stand behind the measure. More than 60 percent of New Yorkers from Upstate, suburbia and New York City support the public financing initiative. As page 7 of the report illustrates, this is the fifth time since January of last year that public financing has garnered the approval of a majority of New Yorkers.  

Buffalo News Commends Gov. Cuomo for Budget Proposal

This week, the Buffalo News editorialized in favor of the comprehensive campaign finance reform proposal outlined by Governor Cuomo in his budget address. Although politicians may claim otherwise, the unfortunate reality of the status quo is that special interests expect results from—not just access to—Albany lawmakers, the editorial argues. The lack of effective campaign finance laws and enforcement drives corruption and bad behavior in Albany by keeping incumbents in power. “Would [Assembleymember Dennis] Gabryszak have been so wanton in his behavior if he knew he faced a strong opponent?,” the editorial asks. A system of public financing would transform Albany. Due to the incentive of matching small donations collected by candidates, officeholders would be encouraged to focus on their constituents, not just wealthy donors. Fewer fundraisers and more interaction with constituents could help foster the trust necessary for effective government. “New York has a lot of work to do over the coming months and in years beyond. It can’t do that work as well as New Yorkers need if voters don’t trust officeholders.”

Utica Observer-Dispatch Praises Cuomo Budget Proposal

A Utica Observer-Dispatch editorial this week praised Governor Cuomo for including public campaign financing in his executive budget proposal. Noting the expense of running a campaign in New York and the high reelection rate of incumbents, the editorial reasoned that opportunities for potential challengers are slim. “[I]f your political ambition is bigger than your bank account, forget it. New York’s pay-to-play election system will keep you on the sidelines,” the editorial said. In Maine, where voters approved a Clean Elections Law in 1996, 70 percent of Maine legislators participate in the public financing program, skipping the big fundraisers and mega-donations for small donations. “Let’s hope Cuomo and the Legislature — where Republicans have stated opposition to the initiatives — can make this happen,” the article concluded.

NATIONAL

Former Virginia Governor Charged in Federal Corruption Case

On Tuesday, a federal grand jury charged former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, with 14 counts related to gifts the couple accepted from Jonnie R. Williams Sr., a Richmond-area businessman. The McDonnells are charged with accepting gifts totaling at least $165,000, including corporate jet travel, a Rolex watch, a Bergdorf-Goodman’s shopping spree, gifts for their two daughters, and a number of Louis Vuitton items. McDonnell maintains that the gifts were legal expressions of “personal generosity” and that he did not perform illegal favors for Williams, then the CEO of Star Scientific, Inc., a dietary supplements company.  The indictment alleges that McDonnell promoted Star Scientific products, attending company events, publically praising company products, and hosting the launch of one product – a pill not approved by the Food and Drug Administration – at the Governor’s Mansion. If found guilty, the couple could face a maximum of thirty years in prison.

Super PAC Gearing Up for Possible Clinton White House Bid

With the 2016 election well over two years away, one of the biggest left-leaning Super PACs is aligning itself with Hilary Clinton, even though she has not yet declared her candidacy. The Super PAC, Priorities USA Action, engaged in significant outside spending in favor of President Obama’s reelection. Priorities has brought on both Obama veterans like Jim Messina and Democratic Party heavyweights like Jennifer Granholm. The group plans to court large donors and exceed the $67 million it spent on the 2012 election.

Arrests Made In International Illegal Campaign Donation Scandal

The FBI has arrested Ravneet Singh, owner of a Washington D.C.-based campaign firm; Ernesto Encinas, a former San Diego police detective; and Marco Polo Cortes, a well-known San Diego City Hall lobbyist, for funneling illegal donations into local San Diego elections. The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges that the conspirators aided a Mexican businessman in donating more than $500,000 to San Diego candidates, in violation of federal law prohibiting foreign nationals from donating to political campaigns in the United States at any level. To hide the funds’ source, Singh, Encinas, and Cortes allegedly used shell companies and a straw man as donors. The official complaint did not list the candidates who received funds, but newspaper sources report that they may include the San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, former mayor Bob Filner, and former mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher.

New Super PACs Targeting Secretary of State Races

With the current spotlight on voter ID laws and other election regulations, Democrats and Republicans alike are turning their attention – and their money – on secretary of state races. Secretaries of state usually control implementation of election laws, including running recounts and approving language in ballot measures. Political strategists on both sides of the aisle see secretaries of state as potentially powerful allies for enacting their visions of election law. Further, the races are comparatively inexpensive, offering outside groups the opportunity to make a big impact with relatively little spending. Gregg Phillips, who formerly ran a pro-Gingrich super PAC, is now leading SOS for SoS, a conservative Super PAC formed to support 2014 candidates who back strong voter ID laws and proof of citizenship requirements. Democratic strategists, including Steve Rosenthal, have started the super PAC SoS for Democracy to represent their goals in the 2014 elections. Both groups plan to focus on races in a few key states, including Ohio, Colorado, and Arizona.

Money in Politics This Week

The Brennan Center regularly compiles the latest news concerning the corrosive nature of money in New York State politics—and the ongoing need for public financing and robust campaign finance reform. We’ll also be linking to dispatches from around the country highlighting the national scope of this crisis. This week’s links were contributed by Katherine Munyan and Syed Zaidi.

For more stories on an ongoing basis, follow the Twitter hashtag #moNeYpolitics and #fairelex.

NEW YORK

Good Government Groups Ask Gov. Cuomo for Reform

Thirty good-government, trade and faith-based organizations penned a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday, urging him to include public financing of state campaigns in his annual executive budget proposal. “New Yorkers have waited long enough for action on curbing corruption and reducing the undue influence and role of campaign money in state government,” the letter stated. Governor Cuomo can add campaign finance reform in his executive budget proposal set to go out next Tuesday. This would force the state legislature to negotiate on anti-corruption measures. According to the groups, the “state budget process allows the best opportunity for making campaign reform a reality in 2014.” The Brennan Center, Common Cause NY, the New York Public Interest Research Group, the State Council of Churches, the Long Island Progressive Coalition, and the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce were just some of the signatories to the letter.

Common Cause: Pro-Fracking Interests Spent Millions on Politics

A new Common Cause/NY report released Monday highlights the role that money plays in the policy debate over allowing hydraulic fracturing in New York. Since 2007 and up until July of last year, pro-fracking businesses, trade organizations, and unions spent $15.4 million on campaign contributions to state lawmakers, who are set to determine the fate of the practice in New York. By comparison, anti-fracking environmental organizations, unions and advocacy groups spent merely $1.9 million on campaign contributions during that period. In addition to campaign contributions, both sides spent huge sums on lobbying lawmakers, according to state records. Pro-fracking interests have focused contributions on the parties in power. The Senate Republicans and the four-member Independent Democratic Conference—who jointly control the chamber—received $3.1 million and $194,000 respectively, whereas Senate Democrats garnered only $785,000 from pro-fracking groups. In the Democratically controlled Assembly, the Democrats obtained $1.3 million and Republicans acquired just $643,000. Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/NY, noted that “Hydraulic fracturing has been one of the most polarizing issues in recent history, with no shortage of political money invested by pro-fracking interests to achieve a favorable outcome… New York State needs comprehensive campaign finance and lobbying reform to assure New Yorkers that public policy is based on their interest, not the special interests.”

Norden: Public Financing Is More Effective than a Constitutional Amendment

Last week, Sam Fedele, coordinator of Move to Amend-Rochester, authored an op-ed in the Democrat & Chronicle criticizing the Moreland Commission’s recommendations to fix the perilous state of corruption in Albany. Fedele argued that in the face of the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC, the only remedy is a constitutional amendment that allows all money spent on politics, including independent expenditures, to be restricted. Lawrence Norden, Deputy Director of the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, responded with an op-ed of his own. He reasoned that although passing a constitutional amendment is a worthy endeavor, it could take years, if not decades. On the other hand, comprehensive campaign finance reform, including public financing, can be enacted this year. The proposal came shy of passing the State Senate by just one vote last year. Furthermore, Fedele conflates state lawmakers from New York City with city lawmakers from New York City: “18 of the 19 corrupt Senators and Assembly members cited by the commission represented districts from within that very same New York City matching system,” he claims. However as Norden points out, those 18 lawmakers ran for state office under the state’s campaign finance system, not for city office under the city’s public financing system. In fact, corruption in New York City has decreased since public financing was instituted in 1989. In 2012-2013, individuals were responsible for 93 percent of all contributions in city elections, compared to only 31 percent of all contributions in state legislative elections—the remainder of the contributions were made by special interest groups.

NATIONAL

Trade Organization Files Suit over Washington’s Campaign Finance Laws

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), a Washington D.C.-based trade organization, has filed a civil-rights lawsuit alleging that Washington State’s campaign finance laws violate the federal and state constitutions.  Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued the GMA in October for concealing its donors to a $10.6 million fund opposing a state ballot initiative that would have mandated labeling genetically modified foods.  The GMA agreed to identify its donors, but is still fighting financial penalties for violating state disclosure laws.  The GMA argues that Washington’s requirements that it report donations as a political committee put a burden on it “not justified by any substantial government interest.” The GMA also claims the Washington law unconstitutionally discriminates against out-of-state citizens, since it bars political committees from transferring money to another political committee unless at least ten of its donations came from Washington donors – meant to make it more difficult to shuffle funds to conceal donors.

FEC Staff Concluded Crossroads GPS Likely Violated Campaign Finance Laws in 2010

A recently-released Federal Election Commission (FEC) report reveals that the FEC’s legal department concluded in 2012 that Crossroads GPS probably violated campaign finance laws with its spending in the 2010 midterm elections. A non-profit “social welfare” group founded by Karl Rove, Crossroads GPS is a conservative spending powerhouse that raised over $200 million in 2012. Categorization as a “social welfare” non-profit requires that an organization spend less than 50 percent of its budget on campaign-related activity.  FEC staff determined that Crossroads GPS surpassed this limit in 2010. If the Commissioners had agreed, Crossroads would have been required to register as a political committee.  That would mean revealing some of the deepest pockets in conservative politics – one donation alone in 2012 was for $22.5 million. The FEC report recommended further investigation of Crossroads GPS. However, because the ideologically-split Commission deadlocked with a 3-3 tie on consideration of the report in December, no action will be taken.

Feds Investigate Christie’s Potential Use of Relief Funds for Campaigning

The Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is investigating New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s use of relief funds allocated by the federal government after Superstorm Sandy. The federal government financed a $25 million ad campaign encouraging tourists to return to the Jersey Shore.  The HUD investigation is focused on a television advertisement series dubbed “Stronger than the Storm,” which featured Christie and his family and aired in April as Christie was beginning his reelection campaign.  The winning bid for the advertisements cost $2 million more than the losing proposal, which did not feature the Christies. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) requested the investigation in August, alleging that Christie abused the funds for campaign purposes. The HUD audit will last several months and culminate in an official report.

Conservatives Criticize Choice of Obama Donor to Lead IRS Investigation

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) are requesting that the Department of Justice (DOJ) remove DOJ trial attorney Barbara Bosserman from the investigation into the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The DOJ is investigating allegations that the IRS targeted conservative groups for unwarranted scrutiny of their tax-exempt status, and Bosserman has been tapped to lead the investigation. According to federal campaign finance records, Bosserman has donated a combined $6,750 to the Democratic National Committee and Obama’s election campaigns between 2004 and 2012. Representatives Issa and Jordan, as well as several of the conservative groups suing the IRS, have criticized her appointment as political because of these donations. DOJ spokeswomen Dena Iverson has responded strongly to their criticisms, characterizing their recommendations as a violation of equal protection law since “it is contrary to department policy and a prohibited personnel practice under federal law to consider the political affiliation of career employees or other non-merit factors in making personnel decisions.”

Money in Politics This Week

The Brennan Center regularly compiles the latest news concerning the corrosive nature of money in New York State politics—and the ongoing need for public financing and robust campaign finance reform. We’ll also be linking to dispatches from around the country highlighting the national scope of this crisis. This week’s links were contributed by Katherine Munyan and Syed Zaidi.

For more stories on an ongoing basis, follow the Twitter hashtag #moNeYpolitics and #fairelex.

NEW YORK

Gov. Cuomo Proposes Public Financing of Elections in State of the State Address

In his annual State of the State address on Wednesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo outlined his vision for New York, including a bold proposal for comprehensive ethics reform. With the stated goal of restoring trust in state government, Cuomo recommended public financing, a new anti-bribery statute, independent enforcement at the Board of Elections and disclosure of outside clients doing business with the state. In the 2014 State of State handbook which accompanied the speech, the governor detailed these as well as other reform initiatives, emphasizing that matching small donations with public funds would give “voice to small donors” and “help enable a diverse pool of candidates with substantial grassroots support, but little access to large donors, to run competitive campaigns.” Good-government groups commended Governor Cuomo’s reforms package and remain optimistic that it will pass. “This kind of reform is never easy, it’s the Legislature imposing new restrictions on itself, but we’re as close as we’ve ever been in New York,” Lawrence Norden, deputy director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center, said.

Albany Times-Union Editorial Tells Cuomo to Back Rhetoric With Action

On Thursday, the editorial board of the Albany Times-Union praised Governor Andrew Cuomo for his endorsement of campaign finance reform in the State of the State address, but cautioned that the rhetoric must be backed up by action. If last year’s bribery scandals were any indication, corruption has become rampant in the Albany. State elections remain uncompetitive, with the current rules favoring incumbents with big campaign chests over new challengers. Combined with inadequate enforcement of even the paltry campaign finance laws already on the books, it is not surprising that so many politicians thought they were above the law last year. New York needs comprehensive reform: lower contribution limits, an independent enforcement agency, no more loopholes, and most importantly a system of matching small contributions with public funds. “Mr. Cuomo has shown that he can push contentious measures through the Legislature — like gun control and marriage equality,” the editorial noted. It remains to be seen whether the Governor and the Legislature have to will to pass reforms to address the epidemic of corruption.

Scharff in Buffalo News: Reduce Influence of Special Interests by Matching Small Donations With Public Funds

Karen Scharff, executive director of Citizen Action, penned an op-ed in the Buffalo News over the Holidays, encouraging New Yorkers to combat the pay-to-play culture prevalent in Albany. As a reformer with 30 years of experience in Albany, Scharff criticized the outsized influence that moneyed interests have over the legislative process on nearly every single issue. In return for large donations, special interests frequently expect favorable legislation such as tax credits and deductions. However, this year, with the start of the new legislative session, New Yorkers have the opportunity to mend this broken system. The Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption has outlined proposals to help reshape state corruption and campaign finance laws. If reform legislation can be passed that allows small donations to be matched with public funds, then candidates would become less dependent on big donors and more so on their constituents. “Whatever it is you think state government should or shouldn’t be doing, with public financing you have a much better chance of having your voice and your neighbors’ voices heard and not drowned out by big money,” Scharff said.

NATIONAL

Colorado Hearings: Can a Political Party Set Up a Super PAC?

The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office is holding hearings this week on a Colorado Republican Party (CRP) petition for a formal determination on whether a political party’s super PAC can accept unlimited contributions. The Colorado Republican Party (CRP) first set up its own super PAC, the Colorado Republican Party Independent Expenditure Committee, in August 2012. Under current practice, a political party’s independent expenditure committee must abide by campaign contribution limits. In an attempt to evade these limits in the 2014 election, the CRP petition argues that its PAC will be independent from the party, with no CRP members having “any degree of management or control over the development of any of the plans, projects, activities, or expenditures” of the super PAC. The Colorado Ethics Watch has filed a petition opposing the CRP’s request. The Ethics Watch petition argues that any rules on political party independent expenditures must conform to Colorado’s limitations and source prohibitions on general contributions to political parties.

Congressional Committee Leaders Receiving More Donations from Regulated Industries

A Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington report found an increase in campaign contributions to Congressional committee leaders from the industries that they regulate. The report examined industry’s campaign contributions to the chairmen and ranking members of ten House committees in the 2010 and 2012 election cycles. Of the chairmen and ranking members examined, 80% receive an increasing portion of their campaign contributions from industries that they regulate. The lawmakers concerned saw a 10% total growth in campaign contributions between the two cycles, but a 24% growth in contributions from relevant industries. These industry contribution trends are true across party lines, and are extremely responsive to changes in a member’s committee standing. For example, when Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) replaced Rep. George Miller (D-Cal.) as head of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in 2011, the education industry’s contributions to Kline tripled while dropping contributions to Miller by over 50 percent.

2014 Brings New Legislative Plans to Defund Public Financing in Arizona

Last month, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that higher campaign contribution limits passed by the state legislature do not violate state law protecting voter-approved laws. Supporters of the Citizens Clean Elections Act, a public financing system passed by statewide referendum in 1998, believe that the higher campaign limits violate voters’ intents to limit campaign donations. Opponents to the Citizens Clean Elections system believe that the new limits do not go far enough in dismantling public financing. Two Arizona legislators have announced plans to pursue a rollback or repeal of the Citizens Clean Elections system in 2014.  Rep. J.D. Mesnard (R-Chandler) is proposing an outright repeal of the public financing system. Rep. Paul Boyer (R-Phoenix) wants to put a measure on the 2014 ballot asking voters to redirect the money funding the public financing system, largely from surcharges on criminal, civil, and traffic fines, to the education system. Boyer introduced a similar proposal last year, but it did not have enough support to come up for a vote in the Senate.