Candidates will once again be footing the bill for their campaigns if lawmakers successfully repeal the Clean Elections Act.
The act established a system of using taxpayer money to fund political campaigns for candidates running in the state Legislature and other statewide elections. The voters approved it in 1998.
The measure, proposed by Sen. John Huppenthal, R-Phoenix, would revoke the act and force all political campaigns to be privately financed. The measure has yet to be voted on.
Sen. Huppenthal was elected using Clean Elections funds. He did not return calls for comment.
Sen. Harry E. Mitchell, D-Tempe, Rep. Meg Burton Cahill, D-Tempe and Gov. Janet Napolitano have also been elected with Clean Elections funding.
Huppenthal is also trying to pass a separate resolution, which would prohibit any taxpayer money from being used for campaign purposes. This would also repeal the Clean Elections Act and prevent any future changes to privately funded campaigns. This resolution has already passed the House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary.
Sen. Bill Brotherton, D-Phoenix, voted against the second resolution. He was not elected with Clean Elections funding, but said he wants to keep the system because it gives more people the opportunity to run for office.
Candidates who have lower incomes and fewer contacts would not be able to run without public funding, he said.
"It's easy for me to raise the money because my friends and colleagues have the incomes to write campaign checks," he said. "But people in other jobs don't have as many contacts."
The individuals who want to repeal Clean Elections think the act makes elections too competitive, Brotherton said. If special interest groups were financing elections again they could influence and run the race, he added.
Brotherton said he would rather change the Clean Elections Act than get rid of it. Public funding should be the main source for campaign finance but some private money should be allowed, he said.
Support for Clean Elections is also coming from Democracy Matters, a nonpartisan ASU political group. Vice president Fletcher Fowler said the group's main goal is to promote campaign finance reform.
The group wants its members to go to the state Capitol to speak out on issues.
The group wants to keep Clean Elections because it lets people of all incomes campaign.
"It's a way to get money out of politics," he said.
Reach the reporter at michael.famiglietti@asu.edu.
