Sen. Lincoln's Missed Fund Raisers Highlight Need to Change Campaign Financing System

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) missed out on "hundreds of thousands of dollars," in campaign contributions due to the health debate in the Senate, according to a Roll Call article just out tonight. David Donnelly, national campaigns director for Public Campaign Action Fund, released the following statement on the issue.

"While we're thankful that Sen. Lincoln was able to skip out on fundraisers to do her job, it's scandalous that members of Congress are forced to even make the decision. An untenable and unsustainable campaign financing system has forced members of Congress to juggle the pressure of crafting good policy with the requirement to raise millions of dollars from special interests to win re-election.

"The Fair Elections Now Act would free members of Congress from this fundraising treadmill and allow them to spend their time focused solely on the challenges facing our country. Until its passage, the Senate floor schedule will be forced to compete with Senators' fundraising schedules. We hope Sen. Lincoln will sign on as a co-sponsor of the legislation."

The Fair Elections Now Act, sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), would end the reliance on special interest cash by providing candidates the option to run a competitive campaign for office with a blend of limited public funds and a 4 to 1 match on donations $100 or less. The House bill currently has the broad bipartisan and cross-caucus support of 124 co-sponsors.

SOURCE Public Campaign Action Fund