Real Campaign FInance Reform

This is an initiative that I have thought about for several years. That it comes from the opponent of the person who argues with the pizza girl, this makes it even better. From RaDene for Senate:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Tuesday, August 19, 2008

PROVO—RaDene Hatfield, candidate for State Senate, announced today a campaign policy that promotes transparency and accountability in the financing of her District 16 race, and challenged her opponent Curt Bramble to do the same

The policy, as described on Hatfield’s website stipulates that the campaign will not accept contributions from any organization not headquartered in Utah. It also specifies that her campaign will update monthly on www.RaDene.com the names and policy interests of contributors who give $50 or more to the campaign.

“The realities of our political system require candidates to raise a lot of money from many different sources,” Hatfield said. “But that doesn't mean it has to be done obscurely or from organizations with interests and agendas dissimilar from Utah citizens. I want to send a message to Utahns that I will be accountable only to them.”

The campaign sent a letter to Bramble on Monday, inviting him to follow the same policy as the Hatfield campaign. If adopted by him, this reform would require Bramble to also post his relationship to contributors on his website, and to return funds raised from non-Utah companies such as the Miller Brewing Company and Altria, the parent company of Phillip Morris Tobacco. The most recent filings with the lieutenant governor’s office from June of this year show Bramble has raised close to $140,000 since the end of his 2004 campaign. More than $116,000 or 83 percent of the funds came from corporations or political action groups. Just 1 percent or about $900 came from individual contributors. In the same reporting period, Hatfield’s campaign had raised $13,740, 100 percent from individual contributors. When new fundraising numbers are reported at the end of August, she is expected to have raised close to double that amount.

Hatfield says she is enacting the policy to demonstrate her commitment to being accountable to Utah and its voters and to invite reform of the fund-raising practices of her opponent.

”I share the sentiments of many Utah voters that there is too much questionable money in politics,“ Hatfield said. ”As a Senator, I will give no special favors to any contributors at the expense of District 16 voters, even if the contributors are from Utah. But by creating clear ethical fund-raising standards, I hope to demonstrate that I am committed to accountability and dedicated to raising the standards of ethical campaign financing in Utah.“

To view Hatfield’s list of contributors and her explanation of the policy, visit www.RaDene.com, www.radene.com/contributors.php and http://www.radene.com/campaignfinance.php.

To contribute to RaDene, click here.

-Bob

P.S. -- She has the best campaign web site I've seen this year....