Who we are
“We have all seen how the influx of big money distorts our agenda, limits competition, and undermines democracy. With Fair Elections, the power rests with voters, not special interests.”
- Bill BradleyFormer Senator from New Jersey
ACR Chair
Our Team
Larry Noble, PRESIDENT & CEO
Larry Noble is a nationally recognized authority on campaign finance, ethics and lobbying issues. From 2006 to 2012, Larry practiced political law at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP, advising clients on matters relating to the regulation of political activity. From 2001 to 2006, he served as Executive Director and General Counsel of the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan research group which tracks money in politics on its highly-regarded website, Open Secrets.
Prior to that, Larry was with the Federal Election Commission for more than twenty years, serving as General Counsel from 1987 until 2000. He has argued before the Supreme Court of the United States and testified before Congress. He is frequently interviewed by the press on campaign finance, lobbying and ethics issues and has appeared on a variety of television and radio news and public affairs programs, including ABC, CBS and NBC network nightly news, ABC’s Nightline, PBS’ The News Hour, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, Fox News Channel, National Public Radio, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show.
John Rauh, FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
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.
Sarah Badawi, DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Sarah received her B.A. in political science from the University of Florida and a J.D. from George Washington University Law School. In 2012, Sarah served on the finance team for a successful campaign for the U.S. Senate, where she was involved in developing and executing a comprehensive, goal-driven fundraising program that reached out to donors using a wide variety of strategies. Prior to joining the campaign, Sarah was an attorney at a D.C. law firm and a Graduate Fellow in International Trade Policy & Government Relations at Pfizer.
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.