Fair Elections Now:current opportunities for federal campaign reform

Bob Edgar, President & CEOCommon Cause

A little about me

•Congress 1975-1987 (“Watergate baby”)

•Claremont School of Theology•National Council of Churches•Common Cause

Common Cause

• Nonpartisan, nonprofit

• Founded in 1970 by John Gardner as a “citizens’ lobby”

• 36 state organizations

• Nearly 400,000 members and supporters

2009

• Health care• Climate• Defense/military

spending• And more

And the biggest crisis of 2009

And the biggest crisis of 2009

• The economy

Financial crisis

Lobbying and Contributions: Members of Bankruptcy Coalition in 2007-2008

OrganizationLobbying

Contributions Total

2007 2008 2007-2008American Bankers Association $6,171,648 $4,479,157 $2,008,488 $12,659,293American Financial Services Association

$200,000 $100,000 $118,500 $418,500

Bank of America $3,220,000 $2,260,000 $1,677,742 $7,157,742Citigroup $8,480,000 $3,830,000 $593,501 $12,903,501Consumer Bankers Association* $2,494,000 $1,238,000 $23,975 $3,755,975Countrywide Financial Corporation $1,323,000 $706,000 $295,813 $2,324,813Financial Services Roundtable $6,380,000 $4,360,000 $256,829 $10,996,829Huntington Bancshares $100,214 $143,483 $112,800 $356,497Ind. Community Bankers of America

$3,428,985 $2,060,000 $694,667 $6,183,652

Mortgage Bankers Association $2,988,387 $2,364,683 $622,175 $5,975,245Wachovia $1,360,000 $925,000 $662,152 $2,947,152Total $36,146,234 $22,466,323 $7,066,642 $65,679,199Source: Center for Responsive Politics

Health care

Health care

Year / Industr

yHealth

InsuranceHealth

ProfessionalsHealth

Institutions

Pharmaceutical & Health Products Total

2000 $12,904,634 $23,550,535 $6,508,361 $9,636,509 $52,600,039 2002 $12,437,381 $25,972,838 $6,875,944 $9,041,329 $54,327,492 2004 $19,324,441 $39,125,256 $10,723,010 $14,258,163 $83,430,870 2006 $18,709,649 $40,598,829 $11,278,207 $17,857,826 $88,444,511 2008 $20,319,441 $43,367,160 $11,864,268 $18,582,414 $94,133,283

Total $83,695,546 $172,614,618 $47,249,790 $69,376,241 $372,936,195

(from “Legislating Under the Influence”)

Health industries’ campaign contributions to Congress, 2000-2008

Climate crisis

$0

$5

$10

$15

$20

$25

$30

$35

Oil & Gas Electric Auto Mining/Coal Enviro

<< Contributions by the energy industries and environmental groups in the 2008 election cycle (in millions)

Why so much money?

And in 2008, average incumbent raised:$1,353,320 (House) $8,705,986 (Senate)

Because the price of a seat keeps rising

House Senate

2006 $1,253,031 $9,635,370

2004 $1,034,224 $7,840,976

2002 $898,184 $5,373,841

2000 $840,300 $7,266,576

1998 $650,428 $5,227,761

1996 $673,739 $4,692,110

Funds raised by winning candidates:

Not an easy time to be a member of Congress (or the President)

• Economy• Health care• Climate• Defense/

military spending

• And more

+

How to raise it all?

How to raise it all?

“That’s me during ‘call time,’ which is basically what candidates for public office do all day.”- Al Franken, 2007

How to raise it all?(the honest way)

How much call time?~20 hours a week

And that’s not even during “campaign season.”

Our goal:

Change the way we finance elections. Get elected officials out of the endless fundraising race so they can do the job we elected them to do.

Public sees it – not just a policy problem, but a trust problem• 73% of voters believe that large campaign

contributions from the banking industry to Congress helped lead to current crisis

• 60% of voters believe Congress puts the interests of campaign contributors over constituents

(Lake Research and Tarrance Group poll, February 2009)

We must change the system

Citizen-funded elections:•Fair Elections Now Act – for Congress

•Fix the presidential public financing system

Citizen funded elections work.

• Maine – 85% of legislature

• Arizona – 54% of legislature

• Connecticut – 81% of legislature

• North Carolina – 68% of judicial seats, 2/3 of Council of State

• Albuquerque, NM and Portland, OR – municipal public

financing

• And more…

“I got to spend time with voters as opposed to dialing for dollars, or trying to sell tickets to $250-a-plate fundraisers. This was much better.”

Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano (D), 2004

Fair Elections Now Act

•Only small, individual contributions of $100 or less

•Qualified candidates get grant plus matching funds for

additional small contributions. Once they reach matching

fund cap, can continue raising small contributions.

(Always $100 or less.)

Three steps:

•Qualify: raise enough in small individual contribs from

home state

•Primary: grant, can continue raising small contribs.

•General: grant, can continue raising small contribs.

Fair Elections Now Act: supporters

•Public: polls show more than 3-to-1 support among

voters

•Organizations: civil rights, environmental, labor,

youth, religious groups

•Unlikely allies: business leaders, lobbyists, political

donors

•President Obama: cosponsor of Fair Elections Now

Act in last Congress, pledged support as presidential

candidate

Public support

Nationwide bipartisan poll, February 2009:•More than three-to-one support (67% / 20%)•73% believe that large campaign contributions from the banking industry to Congress helped lead to current crisis•Four out of five (79%) worry that Congress won’t be able to tackle important issues like the economic crisis, energy, health care, and global warming because of the influence of large campaign contributors.

Organizations support

Presidential

* Model: now parallel to Fair Elections system *

White House: likely to be engaged and support

(Norm Eisen)

Opportunity: work presidential and congressional

together

Message: similar, plus “if it’s good enough for one, it

should be good enough for the other!”

Now what? Make the case

• Media and publicity: health care fight, climate fight, defense spending fight

• Build base of support: grassroots, state orgs, national orgs

• Lobbying in DC• Focus on two best poll-tested messages:

1. Elected officials out of endless fundraising race. 2. End pay-to-play politics.

• Pass the bill!

What can we do now?

• Get endorsements of bills from local and state groups

• Spread the word to civic groups, friends, and family to

take action by contacting Congress:

www.commoncause.org/SupportFairElections

• Work for local citizen-funded elections in your city or

state

• Learn more: www.commoncause.org/FairElections

Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.)

(Video)