Bill to lift fundraising restrictions

By Andrew Denney

Published Feb. 26, 2008

Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, held a birthday fundraiser at Harpo’s on Saturday for his re-election campaign to Missouri’s 19th district. If a bill in Missouri’s General Assembly regarding campaign finance becomes law, Graham could hold fundraisers every weekend without concern for restrictions on how much he receives.

Last week, the Missouri Senate passed a bill that would repeal restrictions on private contributions to state political candidates. Graham voted against the measure.

The legislation, proposed by Sen. Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, passed in the Senate 24-9 on Thursday.

The bill, if passed in the House and signed by Gov. Matt Blunt, would overturn a 1994 voter-approved law that placed a ceiling on private contributions for candidates running for statewide office.

The bill also includes a provision that requires candidates to publicly declare contributions of more than $5,000 within 48 hours of reception.

Currently, limits are set at $1,350 for statewide candidates, $675 for Senate candidates and $325 for House candidates.

The bill contains a clause that deems it an “emergency act,” and states the measure is necessary for the protection of “public health, welfare, peace and safety.”

All Senate Republicans, except for Sen. Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles County, voted in favor of the bill. Senate Democrats were more divided on the vote: five Democratic lawmakers approved the measure and eight opposed.

Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, attempted to pass an amendment to the measure that would have established a voluntary system of publicly funding state elections in which gubernatorial candidates would have been given $1 million to campaign. Smith’s amendment was shot down in a voice vote Thursday.

Smith said the bill’s passage would be largely advantageous to Republican candidates, whom Smith said have more money and wealthy contributors.

“It’s terrible public policy,” Smith said. “I think it’s akin to auctioning off the government to the highest bidder.”

Graham said Republicans were in favor of the bill because it gave U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, R-Mo., and State Treasurer Sarah Steelman, the Republican gubernatorial candidates, a chance to catch up with Democratic Attorney General Jay Nixon in campaign funds.

Nixon has essentially been campaigning for governor since November 2005.

“They don’t want him to get too far ahead.” Graham said Saturday at his fundraiser.

Graham attempted to amend the legislation to postpone the ratification of the law until Jan. 1, 2009, but was unsuccessful.

Nixon said in a news release Thursday that he opposes the measure.

“Strict contribution limits will help ensure that regular Missourians have the most powerful voice in November,” Nixon said in the release. “We must keep contribution limits in place and not return to the same old policies that benefit the same old wealthy insiders.”

Nixon has supported limits for campaign contributions in the past. In 2000, he defended Missouri’s campaign contribution limits before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The General Assembly voted in 2006 to eliminate the 1994 law that established the ceilings on contributions, but the Missouri Supreme Court questioned the constitutionality of the law and reversed the decision July 2007.

College Democrats of Missouri President Nate Kennedy said limits on campaign contributions keep elections free and fair, and are also in line with the preferences of Missouri voters, who Kennedy said have a reputation for independence and are skeptical of professional politicians.

Mizzou College Republicans Vice President Marcus Bowen said legislation regulating campaign finance is short sighted and the size of the government makes large political contributions necessary to campaigns.

“Rather than further restricting individual freedom, we should be restricting government,” Bowen said.