Who we are
“Before Congress can truly meet the challenges of energy and climate change, unemployment, and financial regulation, it must address the perverse incentives that mire each and every one of its members in a perpetual race for private campaign funds.”
- Tim WirthFormer Senator from Colorado
ACR Advisory Board Member
Our Management Team
John Rauh, FOUNDER & CEO
John Rauh is one of the country’s leading voices on election reform. Former Senator Bob Kerrey has said, “No one understands the ins and outs of public funding better than John. When John speaks people should listen.” In 2003, John founded Americans for Campaign Reform to advance the cause of voluntary public funding of congressional and presidential elections, recruiting former Senators Bill Bradley, Bob Kerrey, Warren Rudman, and Alan Simpson to the cause. He has spoken extensively on behalf of campaign finance reform in public, the press, and on Capitol Hill.
John joined Clopay Corporation in 1961, serving as its Chief Executive Officer from 1975 to 1985. John served as President of Cincinnati, Ohio’s independent political party, the Charter Committee, from 1969 to 1975. In 1992, John was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate from New Hampshire. He has served as a board member of Common Cause and has been active on the boards of numerous civic and educational organizations, including chairing the board of the Children’s Alliance of New Hampshire. John received his AB and MBA degrees from Harvard University, and was a fellow at the Kennedy School of Government. John and his wife Mary reside in New Castle, NH.
Nick Mitchell, VICE PRESIDENT & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
Nick is a graduate of The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, NJ and Boston University, where he earned a BA in Economics. He is the Founder of MC2, Inc., a marketing and strategic planning firm. Nick has developed marketing strategies and advertising campaigns for a diverse group of clients including Agfa Corporation, Anheuser-Busch, Bitstream, Caterpillar Tractor and GTE/Sylvania. He has also managed communications and media relations for several Senate and House campaigns.
Rob Werner, NATIONAL FIELD DIRECTOR
Rob is a graduate of the University of Vermont and earned a Masters of Business Administration from Suffolk University. A public policy analyst and advocate, Rob has organized successful advocacy and legislative campaigns for the American Heart Association, Smoke-Free NH Alliance, and the American Cancer Society. Rob lives in Concord, NH with his wife Mary Ann, and serves on the Concord City Council.
Martha L. Smith, ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR & LEGAL COUNSEL
Martha is a graduate of Boston College and earned her Juris Doctor Degree from Suffolk University Law School. She is a member of the New Hampshire Bar. Prior to joining Americans for Campaign Reform in 2011, she practiced law in New Hampshire and subsequently served as general counsel for Cogenex Corporation, an international energy services company. Martha resides in Londonderry, NH with her husband Tim and their two children.
Dan Weeks, POLICY ADVISOR
Dan is the past President of Americans for Campaign Reform now serving as a policy advisor on legislative affairs. He completed his undergraduate studies at Yale University in 2006, where he won top prizes in International Studies and Political Science for senior research on democratic peace theory and a new small donor approach to federal campaign finance; the latter proposal has been incorporated into reform legislation now before Congress. He was a 2006 Marshall Scholar in Political Theory at Oxford, completing his MPhil dissertation on “Rethinking Political Equality in America – A Positive Account.” Dan is married to Dr. Sindiso Mnisi, of the Rural Women’s Action Research Project based at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.