Americans for Campaign Reform Announces Support of Fair Elections Now Legislation

Former Senators Speak Out

(Concord, NH - March 25) Americans For Campaign Reform, a bi-partisan advocacy group based in Concord, NH, has announced their support of the Fair Elections Now Act. The legislation, which will be introduced this week, provides for voluntary public funding of all Senate and House elections. Senators Durbin (D-IL) and Specter (R-PA) will introduce the Senate bill while Representatives Larson (D-CT) and Jones (R-NC) will introduce similar legislation in the House. These bills respect the importance of citizen involvement in elections by providing a match of public funds for small donations received from a candidate's constituents.

Americans for Campaign Reform is chaired by former Senators Bill Bradley (D-NJ), Bob Kerrey (D-NE), Warren Rudman (R-NH) and Al Simpson (R-WY).

According to Bradley, the cost of running for office has gotten out of control. "It used to be that you were a Senator for four years and you ran for re-election for two years. But in the current world you basically run for re-election from the day you arrive. So, you constantly have to raise money in order to get to the amount you need to be able to run an effective campaign.

"When I ran for the Senate in 1978, I spent about $1.3 or $1.4 million for both my primary and general election. In 2000, the Democratic candidate who won that same Senate seat spent about $62 million."

Bradley goes on to talk about the increasing influence of lobbyists on campaign finances. "The only way to break the connection between the lobbyist and the elected official, which is one of the key political reforms of our time, is by going to public funding of all Congressional and Senate campaigns. You can do that for a little less than $2 billion a year out of a $1.6 trillion budget."

Rudman also expresses frustration over the influence of special interests on our political system. "There's an overwhelming cynicism of the American people in their government. It's caused by a lot of reasons, but I think one of the principle reasons is a feeling that the Congress has been corrupted by special interest money. I think the continuation of the present system will continue to erode what confidence is left in the government by the America people.

He adds, "The only meaningful reform is legislation like the Fair Elections Now Act."

For complete information about Americans for Campaign Reform please refer to http://YouStreet.org.