SCOTT J. FERRELL/CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY
CRACKING
THE CODE
only after he raised contributions
of $100 or less from 1,000 firsttime donors in his district — a
goal that he ultimately achieved.
The arrangement provided the
large pool of money needed to run
a successful campaign. But it also
offered something more: an incentive to reach out to new small
donors, the ones who usually get
ignored come election season.
The experiment was invigorating, Sarbanes said. It freed him
from the tedium of calling the
same wealthy donors he dialed
every year asking for maximum
contributions. It also allowed him
to talk to more of his constituents.
He used those conversations, along
with discussions with reformers
and organizations both inside and
outside Washington, to craft what
he calls “a meaningful bill to reform the way we fund campaigns.”
Sarbanes introduced the proposed Grassroots Democracy Act
earlier this year in the House of
Representatives. After months of
negotiations, it is poised to become the basis of a new piece of
legislation around which Democrats will organize support for
congressional campaign finance
reform over the next few years.
Sarbanes’ original bill would
match every $1 in donations of
$100 or less with $5 in public
matching funds and provide a $50
HUFFINGTON
10.27.13
“IF YOU WERE TRYING
TO BECOME A RANKING
MEMBER OR, IF YOU’RE
IN THE MAJORITY, THE
COMMITTEE CHAIR, IF
YOU DON’T RAISE TONS OF
MONEY FOR THE PARTY
YOU’VE GOT NO CHANCE.”
House Budget and House Ways and Means Committees member John
Yarmuth (D-Ky.) is one lawmaker leading campaign finance reform.