FINANCE LAW
N.J. funds "cleaner"
campaigns
By TOM HESTER JR. AP
from thnt Online, September 4, 2007
TRENTON -- New Jersey —
infamous for rough-and-tumble politics and government corruption — is vying to
clean up its act.
After a failed effort in 2005, legislative candidates in three districts will
fund their campaigns using taxpayer cash — not money donated by special interest
groups. Their money comes from the state budget, not donations.
Supporters hope New Jersey's effort will allow candidates to focus on issues,
not fund-raising, and push the corruption-plagued state closer to having a
statewide publicly funded campaign program, as Arizona, Connecticut and Maine
have done.
"Public financing can strengthen the democratic process by keeping special
interest money out," said Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr., D-Camden.
New Jersey, where all 120 legislative seats are up for election this November,
isn't the only state looking to advance public campaign financing.
Alaska voters will decide this fall whether to approve publicly financed state
elections, while North Carolina lawmakers recently approved expanding its public
campaign finance program.
"We are moving the reform agenda forward, taking one more step toward making
fundamental change in the way we do politics in New Jersey," said Vic De Luca of
government watchdog group New Jersey Citizen Action.
This is New Jersey's second effort at public campaign financing for legislators.
A 2005 effort sputtered when the program proved too complicated, but this year,
15 of the 20 eligible candidates have qualified. The others still have
until Sept. 30.
The program is being tried in the 14th, 24th and 37th districts. Each
district elects two Assembly members and a senator.
The 15 candidates qualified by collecting $10 donations from at least 400
in-district voters. They will be deemed a "clean elections candidate" on
the November ballot and allowed to include a 250-word personal statement on
sample ballots.
So far, the qualifying candidates have received about $3.57 million total in
public money. By accepting the money, the candidates are banned from
accepting donations from special-interest groups.
"This legislation creates a program that hopefully will start the process of
weeding big money out of the political process," said Assemblyman Bill Baroni,
R-Mercer, Middlesex, who is seeking a 14th District Senate seat and supports the
program.
In 2005, when the 80 Assembly seats and the governor's office were on the
ballot, the leading contributors to state candidates were lawyers, who gave
$2.21 million, and labor unions, which gave $2.2 million, according to the
National Institute on Money in State Politics.
Assembly candidates raised a record $38.1 million total that year, according to
the state Election Law Enforcement Commission.
Senate and Assembly candidates raised $32.2 million just for this year's June
primary, with about $18.2 million of raised by Senate candidates, ELEC said.
Not everyone is pleased with the program.
Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose, R-Sussex, who represents the traditionally
Republican 24th District in northwestern New Jersey, is participating because
her district was chosen for it, but she's not a supporter. She said the
program is designed to make Democrats competitive in a Republican district.
"We're the guinea pigs, and if we don't participate the Democrats will just get
more of our money," she said.
Assemblyman Richard Merkt, R-Morris, has lauded the program's goal, but decried
the cost. The Legislature budgeted about $7 million for the program.
And Gregg M. Edwards, president of the Center for Policy Research of New Jersey,
contends the law actually helps incumbents because it makes it impossible for a
challenger to outspend a sitting legislator.
On the Net:
New Jersey Clean Elections:
http://www.njcleanelections.com/
National Institute on Money in State
Politics:
http://www.followthemoney.org/index.phtml
New Jersey Election Law Enforcement
Commission:
http://www.elec.state.nj.us/
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