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A campaign-cash quandary
Republican Mesa County Commissioner Janet Rowland is facing somewhat of a philosophical catch-22 in her primary race against David Kearsley.
On one hand, Rowland has lambasted Kearsley for accepting two $10,000 contributions from a local businessman, Phil Bourassa. Last week, Rowland questioned if the two contributions would make Kearsley beholden to the interests of his donor. And, during a debate this week, she called Bourassa a “sugar daddy.”
These complaints, however, seemingly are at odds with what has been a longstanding Republican mantra, deriding campaign-contribution limits at the state and federal level. (These same criticisms have come back to bite Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who co-authored a 2002 bill to overhaul the federal campaign finance system.)
So we asked the incumbent commissioner today about her views on campaign contribution caps.
Rowland said because Colorado voters already are limited in how much money they can give federal, state and some local candidates, county-level contribution limits might make sense.
“I absolutely would be willing to look at setting some local limits,” Rowland said.
She said she has concerns about limiting people’s right to free speech. Nonetheless, Rowland said there is a need to “level” the playing field so millionaires cannot unduly influence elections.
Rowland said she is opposed to how the rules lacking at the county level and instituted at the federal and state levels with regard to 527 committees, “pit the wealthy against the not so wealthy.”
*Rowland, Kearsley photos from The Daily Sentinel archives.
Comments
By gdh
July 16, 2008 7:05 PM | Link to this
Full disclosure is the only sure way voters will ever know where contributions come from in a campaign. Campaign spending limits is a hole so large the 527’s can tunnel under ground — hidden from sight and public scrutiny.
Unfortunately the chance of ridding campaigns of this 527 vehicle is zero and none in the foreseeable future.