All too often, in order to get elected a candidate must either have significant financial resources to pay for the campaign or raise enough money to do so. We currently have disclosure laws which require candidates to list their contributors and how much money they contributed. If a donor contributes over $100.00 the candidate must also disclose their occupation and employer.
There are limits to how much any one individual can give to a candidate’s campaign. Corporations are prohibited from contributing at all. The law is designed to let people know who is financially supporting a candidate. These rules are for contributions that go to the candidate’s committee and are controlled by the candidate.
Unfortunately not all money spent toward a campaign is controlled by the candidate and his/her campaign. Groups with ambiguous names are able to enter the campaign arena and buy ads and do mailings attempting to influence the outcome of elections. Who makes up the group and who funds them? Often, we don’t know.
I believe we should strengthen the transparency laws so that groups who are willing to identify its leaders, organizational structure and funding sources in detail, similar to a legislative campaign, should be allowed to continue to participate in the electoral process. Such ”Sunshine” legislation would ensure the public’s right to know who is paying for advertising so they can decide the value of these messages and how much their vote should be influenced by these groups.
My campaign finance reports indicate that I have received a good portion of my donations from neighbors and friends within the district, from family, and that I have accepted the support of some labor organizations. I’m honored to have the endorsements and support of the individuals and groups that have chosen to support me.
If you have ideas on reforming campaign finance reform I would love to hear from you.
