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The final days of the Nov. 5 midterm elections offer a rare opportunity to measure how the new federal campaign finance law will change the ground rules under which congressional candidates are now campaigning. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, though it faces court challenges, becomes law the day after the election. It was the result of more than a decade of grass-roots effort and broad, strong public support. The law bans soft money contributions to national political parties, increases individual hard money contribution limits, leaves PAC contribution limits unchanged and restricts the ability of corporations (including non-profits) and labor unions to run ads that feature the names or likenesses of candidates close to an election.

Iowa) and Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.) – are declining PAC contributions in their re-election campaigns. Or is it business as usual until the very last minute, despite the public call for change? What practices that are now tipping the scales in specific races will be illegal in the next elections? Reporters can ask: “What will the next election be like when ads like this are illegal? Right now Company X is publicly endorsing Candidate Y. Will that be acceptable under the new law? How will Company X back candidates once the rules change?”

Why it matters

At a time when news coverage is filled with stories of corporate corruption and mistrust of institutions, voters care deeply about campaign finance reform. Gallup polls, for example, found that high percentages of voters support reform – up to 72 percent in February 2001, just before Congress passed the new law. Religious interests continue to exert great influence – both for and against campaign finance reform – on the federal and state level and in lawsuits. Most groups supporting it cite shared values such as equality, fairness, honesty, and integrity that are integral to their faith traditions. Other religious groups oppose reform because they say it violates First Amendment rights.

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National sources

• Such legal luminaries as C. Boyden Gray, former White House counsel to President Bush and former Whitewater special prosecutor Kenneth Starr are opposed on constitutional grounds to campaign finance reform. The James Madison Center for Free Speech represents plaintiffs including Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) who are challenging the constitutionality of the new law in federal court. James Bopp Jr. is lead attorney for the plaintiffs and general counsel for the center. Contact 812-232-2434, jboppjr@abcs.com. Contact McConnell, 202-224-2541.

• Melissa Schwartz, media relations director of the Interfaith Alliance Foundation, can talk about how the faith community and reformist organizations collaborate. Contact 202-639-6370, mschwartz@interfaithalliance.org. The alliance offers a guide to faith and campaign finance reform.

• The National Voting Rights Institute is defending campaign finance laws in court. Contact 617-368-9100, nvri@nvri.org.

• John C. Eastman is a national voice who says that campaign finance reform restricts constitutionally protected free speech. Eastman, a Chapman University law school professor and former Supreme Court clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas, defeated Irvine, Calif.’s municipal campaign finance ordinance this year in a United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit case. Contact 714-628-2500, jeastman@chapman.

• The American Conservative Union wrote a letter to President Bush in March, urging him to veto the Congressional reform bill because it “criminalizes political speech.” Contact communications director Ian Walters at 703-836-8602, iwalters@conservative.org. Those who signed the letter include Andrea Sheldon Lafferty at the Traditional Values Coalition, 202-547-8570; Gary Jarmin of Christian Voice, 703-548-1421; and Roberta Combs of the Christian Coalition, 202-479-6900.

• Read testimony of ACLU Executive Director Ira Glasser on March 22, 2000, opposing Campaign Finance Reform Legislation.

• Sister Anne Curtis, a lobbyist for Network, a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, works for overhaul of the campaign finance system. Contact 202-547-5556, extension 25, acurtis@networklobby.org.

• The Rev. Dr. Jay Lintner organized Religious Leaders for Campaign Finance Reform as a minister of the United Church of Christ. Retired, he continues his work in national religious and campaign reform circles. Contact him through the United Church of Christ Washington, D.C., office, 202-543-1517.

• Rabbi David Saperstein, attorney and campaign finance expert, lobbies Congress and the administration for the national Reform Jewish Movement. Contact 202-387-2800, rac@uahc.org.

• Matt Keller is Legislative Director for Common Cause, a 250,000-member citizens lobbying organization. His goals are reform of presidential public financing, getting free time for candidates on public airwaves, and abolishing the Federal Elections Commission. Contact 202-833-1200 or 800-926-1064, Mkeller@commoncause.org.

• David Magleby, director of the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at Brigham Young University, monitors how soft money is used in the states. Contact 801-378-5462, David_magleby@byu.edu.

• The National Institute on Money in State Politics in Helena, Mont., tracks campaign money in state politics. Contact 406-449-2480, institute@statemoney.org.

Background

• Congress tried for several years to enact campaign finance reform but failed. Then, momentum built with the Enron scandal and Congress passed the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (also called the Shays-Meehan Bill). President Bush signed the bill March 27. It takes effect Nov. 6 and governs federal races only. Several states and localities have passed or are trying to pass their own laws.

• Read an explanation of the campaign finance law, its provisions and the lawsuits against it at the Brookings Institute’s guide to The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 and the Constitutional Challenge.

• The American Center for Law and Justice filed a suit challenging the new law on behalf of a minister and six teenagers.

• The Almanac of Policy Issues gives a succinct summary of the law.

• According to Public Campaign, it’s an American political first: A majority of candidates for state office in Arizona and Maine are financing their campaigns this season solely with public funds. In Maine, 62 percent of candidates (231 of 372) are participating in that state’s Clean Elections system, which offers candidates the option of full public financing in exchange for limiting their spending and rejecting private donations. In Arizona, 53 percent of candidates (84 out of 158) are running “clean.” Public Campaign lists contacts in every state working to institute campaign finance reform.

• The University of Utah Campaign and Media Program about-university-conferences.html is sponsoring a January conference on how the new campaign finance law will affect elections and how it would have affected current midterm elections, had it applied. Contact Campaign and Media Law Center, 202-736-2200, info@camlc.org.

• Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), longtime champion of campaign finance reform, charges that the Federal Election Commission is gutting the new law, basically writing regulations which will allow the soft money to flow. Contact Rebecca Hanks in McCain’s Washington office 202-224-2182.

• OpenSecrets.org lets you to look up details of campaign finance in a variety of ways – by zip code (compared with other zips in your state); by congressional office holder, with contributor funds identified by PAC; and by individual donor, business or labor organization. You can also find where an individual donor’s or PAC’s contributions went.

• This year gubernatorial candidates have poured at least $200 million into TV campaign ads – and it’s paying off, says Stateline.org. The candidate who buys the most TV time wins most of the time, according to data compiled by the Wisconsin Advertising Project, which studies campaign spending and advertising. Stateline.org also offers a list of Web links on campaign finance for reporters.

Regional sources

IN THE NORTHEAST

• Follow the Money has an article on how Connecticut is the only state that has banned soft money contributions to state parties.

• Contact the Yankee Institute for Public Policy, which advocates for less government regulation, in Connecticut at 860-297-4271.

• Contact Connecticut Citizen Action Group, 860-231-2410.

• Government professor Anthony Corrado is an expert on money and politics at Colby College in Maine. Contact 207-872-3000, ajcorrad@colby.edu.

• Northeast Action, a regional alliance of progressive grassroots organizations, says Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Arizona have passed campaign finance reform laws, either by initiative or legislative vote. Contact Janet Groat , 617-541-0500, jgroat@neaction.org.

• Vermont Public Interest Research Group is defending Vermont’s 1997 campaign finance law in court. Contact Paul Burns, paul@vpirg.org.

• Pam Wilmot represents Common Cause in Massachusetts. Contact 617-426-9600.

• Joe O’Brien works for Mass Voters For Clean Elections. Contact 617-451-5999.

• Contact Guillermo Quinteros at Commonwealth Coalition in Massachusetts, 617-422-0118.

• Phil West represents Common Cause in Rhode Island. Contact 401-861-2322.

• Abigail Abrash at New Hampshire Citizens Alliance works on campaign finance reform. Contact 603-225-2097, nhca@totalnetnh.net.

• In Concord, N.H., contact The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, which advocates for limited government, at 603-224-4450.

IN THE EAST

• Father Joseph O’Hare is chairman of the New York City Campaign Finance Board, an independent, nonpartisan city agency. Contact 212-306-7100.

• The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research in New York is devoted to developing economic choice and individual responsibility. Contact 212-599-7000.

• Rachel Leon represents Common Cause in New York. Contact 212-564-4365.

• Jon Bartholomew works on campaign finance at New York Citizen Action. Contact 518-465-4600 x110, jbartholomew@citizenactionny.org.

• Barry Kaufman represents Common Cause in Pennsylvania. Contact 717-232-9951.

• Read an April 1, 2002, Bucks County Courier Times article on the effect of the new campaign finance law in Pennsylvania.

• Staci Berger works on campaign finance reform at New Jersey Citizen Action. Contact 732-246-4772, staci@njcitizenaction.org.

IN THE SOUTHEAST

• Bob Phillips represents Common Cause in North Carolina. Contact 919-274-4475.

• Democracy South in North Carolina works for campaign finance reform. Contact 919-489-1931 or 919-967-9942, leighbradley@democracysouth.org.

• Contact the John Locke Foundation in Raleigh, N.C., 919-828-3876.

• Brett Bursey is with South Carolina Progressive Network. Contact 803-808-3384, network@scpronet.com. Check out their clean election Web site.

• Contact the Washington D.C.-based Institute for Justice, a libertarian public interest law firm, at 202-955-1300.

• Contact the Landmark Legal Foundation, a conservative legal advocacy group in Herndon, Va., at 703-689-2370.

• Contact The Lexington Institute, which promotes limiting the role of government, in Arlington, Va., at 703-522-5828.

IN THE SOUTH

• Bill Bozarth represents Common Cause in Georgia. Contact 404-601-9901.

• Contact the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, 404-256-4050.

• Eve Podet works with Clean Money Kentucky. Contact 502-875-6481, cleanmoneyky@yahoo.com.

• Ben Wilcox represents Common Cause in Florida. Contact 850-222-3883.

• Contact the Louisiana Democracy Project, 225-233-6494.

• Contact Tennessee Citizen Action, 615-244-2494.

IN THE MIDWEST

• Congressman Jim Leach (R-Iowa) has never accepted PAC money in 26 years in Congress. He accepts only contributions from individual Iowans, to a limit of $1,000 per two-year cycle, half of what is allowed by law. Contact chief of staff Bill Tate 202-225-6576, Bill.tate@mail.house.gov.

• James Bopp Jr. is lead attorney for the plaintiffs and general counsel for the the James Madison Center for Free Speech, which represents plaintiffs including Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) who are challenging the constitutionality of the new law in federal court. An attorney in Terre Haute, Ind., he has argued lawsuits that resulted in Federal Election Commission regulations being struck down as violations of the First Amendment. Contact 812-232-2434 jboppjr@abcs.com.

• Dollars & Democracy is a joint project of the Peace and Justice offices of the Chicago and Cincinnati Archdioceses, the Chicago Diocese and the American Friends Service Committee. It works on campaign finance from a faith perspective and lists contacts in Northeast and Southwest Ohio and Illinois.

• Protestants for the Common Good, based in Chicago and formed in 1995, has adopted principles advocating campaign finance reform. Contact Mary Schaafsma, 312-223-9544.

• The Heartland Institute in Chicago, 312-377-4000.

• The Illinois Family Institute, 630-790-8370.

• Betty Ahrens represents Iowa Citizen Action Network. Contact 515-277-5077.

• Beth Fraser, organizer at Minnesota Alliance for Progressive Action, says apparently no Minnesota candidate is voluntarily adopting any provisions of McCain Feingold. Still, some 220 candidates have pledged to support nearly full public financing in future elections. Contact 651-641-4050, bfraser@mapa-mn.org.

• Rich Robinson works on campaign finance reform at Michigan Campaign Finance Network. Contact rrobinson@mcfn.org.

• James W. Reed, Jr. is legislative director at Citizen Action/Illinois. Contact jwr@citizenaction-il.org.

• Stefanie Miller represents Alliance for Democracy in Indiana. Contact jackandstef@earthlink.net.

• Janet Fout is with People’s Election Reform Coalition/W.V. Citizen Action in West Virginia. Contact jfout@ezwv.net.

• West Virginia Citizen Action tracks campaign money given to West Virginia elected officials. Contact Norm Steenstra 304-346-5891, norm@wvcag@wvcag.org.

• Gail Erickson is with the North Dakota Progressive Coalition, which sometimes works on disclosure issues. Contact 701-224-8090, nodakpc@aol.com.

IN THE SOUTHWEST

• Along with Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont, Arizona has approved a law that will put in place campaign systems primarily financed with public money.

• Barbara Lubin is deputy director at Clean Elections Institute in Phoenix, Ariz. Contact 602-840-6633, barb@azclean.org.

• Contact the conservative Goldwater Institute in Phoenix, Ariz., at 602-462-5000.

• The Texas Freedom Network, a non-profit, non-partisan alliance of 7,500 religious and community leaders, supports campaign finance reform. Contact 512-322-0545, tfn@tfn.org.

• Suzy Woodford represents Common Cause in Texas. Contact 512-474-2374.

• Contact the Rio Grande Foundation, which promotes limited government, in New Mexico at 505-286-2030.

• Pete Maysmith represents Common Cause in Colorado. Contact 303-292-2163.

• Bill Vandenberg is with Colorado Progressive Coalition. Contact coprogressive@aol.com.

• Contact the Independence Institute in Golden, Colo., at 303-279-6536.

• Sally Davis represents Common Cause in New Mexico. Contact 505-323-6399.

IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST

• Anaheim, Calif., City Attorney Jack White champions his city’s campaign finance ordinance, which allows expenditures by an independent committee as long as donations in city races do not exceed 25 percent of all contributions made by that committee. Contact 714-765-5169.

• Jim Knox represents Common Cause in California. Contact 916-443-1792.

• Todd Flora is state director of California Clean Money Campaign. Contact 310-837-8748, Cacleanmoney@aol.com.

• Mary Hart represents Common Cause in Oregon. Contact 503-399-0818.

• Jim Hansen represents United Vision for Idaho. Contact uvijhansen@rmci.net.

• The Rev. Betty Beck leads the Interfaith Alliance of Idaho. Contact 208-362-0774, ELDBECK@aol.com.

• Paul Brown, Southern Nevada director of Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, frequently works with the religious community. Contact 702-791-1965, planvegas@aol.com.

• Dick Rowland watches campaign finance issues for Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. Contact 808-487-4959.

• Laure Dillon works for Hawaii Clean Elections. Contact 808-922-2086, laure@pixi.com.