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“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
As House Committee Takes Historic Vote, Former Members of Congress Urge Full House Passage of the Most Sweeping Election Reform Since Watergate
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Americans for Campaign Reform
Contact: Nick Mitchell
603-227-0626 / nmitchell@ACRreform.org
116 bipartisan former lawmakers join effort to enact Fair Elections Now Act
WASHINGTON, DC – The Committee on House Administration today approved the Fair Elections Now Act, paving the way for the full House of Representatives to vote on the most sweeping legislative response to special interest money in politics in more than 30 years. The action was hailed by both Republican and Democratic former Members of Congress who gathered in Washington today for the purpose of advancing Fair Elections.
The former elected leaders are members of Americans for Campaign Reform, a bipartisan effort to enact citizen-funded Fair Elections chaired by former Senators Bill Bradley (D-NJ), Bob Kerrey (DNE), Warren Rudman (R-NH), and Alan Simpson (R-WY).
“We congratulate the committee on its action today, and urge the House to enact this important change in how we elect our national leaders,” said former Congressman Michael Barnes (DMaryland). “The Fair Elections Now Act will take our elections out of the hands of large donors and return it the voters.”
Former Republican Congressman Sherwood Boehlert of New York called the legislation “the strongest effort at political reform since the Watergate era and one that is consistent with Republican principles of competition and freedom of speech.”
“The American people deserve elected officials that are accountable to them, not large donors and special interests,” said Connie Morella, a former Republican Member of Congress from Maryland. “The Fair Elections Now Act will make a positive difference in who can be elected to Congress and how they represent their constituents. I hope that the House will take up this bill as soon as possible.”
Bob Carr, a former Democratic Member of Congress from Michigan, praised the committee for moving the bill forward. “The House of Representatives has an historic opportunity to reclaim our electoral system on behalf of everyday citizens and not big donors.”
The Fair Elections Now Act would create a system of citizen-funded elections, in which qualifying candidates who can collect a large number of $100-or-less donations from their constituents receive sufficient matching funds to run a competitive campaign. The legislation has attracted 165 cosponsors in the US House of Representatives and 25 co-sponsors in the US Senate. A full list of the former Members of Congress endorsing Fair Elections follows.
Former Members of Congress Endorsing Fair Elections
Former U.S. Senators
1. Jim Abourezk (D-SD)
2. Nancy Kassebaum Baker (R-KS)
3. Bill Bradley (D-NJ)
4. Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL)
5. Bill Brock (R-TN)
6. Gary Hart (D-CO)
7. J. Bennett Johnston (D-LA)
8. Bob Kerrey (D-NE)
9. Vice Pres. Walter Mondale (D-MN)
10. Frank Murkowski (R-AK)
11. Larry Pressler (R-SD)
12. David Pryor (D-AR)
13. Don Riegle (D-MI)
14. Charles Robb (D-VA)
15. Warren Rudman (R-NH)
16. Jim Sasser (D-TN)
17. Alan Simpson (R-WY)
18. Adlai Stevenson III (D-IL)
19. Joe Tydings (D-MD)
20. Timothy E. Wirth (D-CO)
21. Harris Wofford (D-PA)
Former U.S. Representatives
22. Don Albosta (D-MI)
23. Tom Andrews (D-ME)
24. Chet Atkins (D-MA)
25. Michael Barnes (D-MD)
26. Carlos Barcelo (D-PR)
27. Jim Bates (D-CA)
28. Berkley Bedell (D-IA)
29. Anthony Beilenson (D-CA)
30. James Bilbray(D-NV)
31. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY)
32. David Bonior (D-MI)
33. Bill Burlison (D-MO)
34. Bob Carr (D-MI)
35. Jim Chapman (D-TX)
36. William Curlin (D-KY)
37. Norm D’Amours (D-NH)
38. Butler Derrick (D-SC)
39. Tom Downey (D-NY)
40. Bob Edgar (D-PA)
41. Robert Ellsworth (R-KS)
42. Arlen Erdhal (R-MN)
43. Harold Ford (D-TN)
44. Harris Fawell (R-IL)
45. Vic Fazio (D-CA)
46. Paul Findley (R-IL)
47. Michael Forbes (D-NY)
48. Sam Gibbons (D-FL)
49. Benjamin Gilman (R-NY)
50. Dan Glickman (D-KS)
51. Frank Guarini (D-NJ)
52. Lee Hamilton (D-IN)
53. Micheal Harrington (D-MA)
54. James Hastings (R-NY)
55. Earl Hilliard (D-AL)
56. Ken Holland (D-SC)
57. Elizabeth Holtzman (D-NY)
58. Amory Houghton (R-NY)
59. Thomas J. Huckaby (D-LA)
60. Bill Hudnut (R-IN)
61. William Hughes (D-NJ)
62. Earl Hutto (D-FL)
63. Andy Jacobs (D-IN)
64. Ed Jenkins (D-GA)
65. John Jenrette (D-SC)
66. Robert Kastenmeier (D-WI)
67. Ray Kogovsek (D-CO)
68. Martha Keys (D-KS)
69. Ron Klink (D-PA)
70. Jim Leach (R-IA)
71. Elliot Levitas (D-GA)
72. Marilyn Lloyd (D-TN)
73. Bill Luther (D-MN)
74. Stan Lundine (D-NY)
75. Andy Maguire (D-NJ)
76. Richard Mallery (R-VT)
77. Pete McCloskey (R-CA)
78. Matt McHugh (D-NY)
79. Toby Moffet (D-CT)
80. Connie Morella (R-MD)
81. Jim Moody (D-WI)
82. Tom McMillen (D-MD)
83. Bruce Morrison (D-CT)
84. Lucien Nedzi (D-MI)
85. Dick Nichols (R-KS)
86. Rick Nolan (D-MN)
87. Tom Osborne (R-NE)
88. Dick Ottinger (D-NY)
89. Leon Panetta (D-CA)
90. Shirley Pettis-Roberson (R-CA)
91. Otis Pike (D-NY)
92. John Porter (R-IL)
93. Graham Purcell (D-TX)
94. Tom Railsback (R-IL)
95. Marty Russo (D-IL)
96. Tom Sawyer (D-OH)
97. John Schmidhauser (D-IA)
98. Patricia Schroeder (D-CO)
99. John J.H. Schwarz (R-MI)
100. Lynn Schenk (D-CA)
101. Gerry Sikorski (D-MN)
102. Bob Shamansky (D-OH)
103. Ronnie Shows (D-MS)
104. David Skaggs (D-CO)
105. Jim Slattery (D-KS)
106. Peter Smith (R-VT)
107. Richard Stallings (D-ID)
108. Charles Stenholm (D-TX)
109. Bill Stuckey (D-GA)
110. Dick Swett (D-NH)
111. James Symington (D-MO)
112. Estaban Torres (D-CA)
113. J. Bob Traxler (D-MI)
114.Weston Vivian (D-MI)
115. Doug Walgren (D-PA)
116. Samuel Young (R-IL)