New York Governor David Paterson and his predecessor Eliot Spitzer got a talking to from groups interested in campaign finance issues and particularly public financing of elections. The state legislative session is about to adjourn with no significant progress made on the many campaign promises the two made to clean up Albany, and aggressively pursue a full public financing program for the state's elections.

The strange story of soon-to-be-former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer (D) does have a touch of silver lining, the man who will replace him, Lt. Gov. David Paterson is a longtime supporter of Clean Elections public financing of campaigns.

On the first day of the Fair Elections Action Week, the Gotham Gazette urges attention to Clean Elections public financing proposals in New York, where Democratic Governor Eliot Spitzer, a supporter of Clean Elections, and the Republican-controlled state Senate have crossed swords over the virtues of such a system.

The New York Times writes on the recent proposal by New York comptroller Thomas diNapoli to publicly finance state campaigns, beginning with the next comptroller race. The paper praises the thrust of the proposal, but hopes that diNapoli, Governor Spitzer, and the legislature will work out something more ambitious and comprehensive.

This New York Sun article speculates on whether New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in considering a challenge to Governor Eliot Spitzer in the next election, and wraps with a nod to Cuomo's support for public financing.

 

Spitzer has made campaign finance reform and public financing a centerpiece of his first term agenda, so where does Cuomo stand?

The New York Times knows the score: while praising several of the campaign finance reform proposals of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, they urge progress on public financing of elections as the way to not only moderate the influence of wealth, the incredible influence of entrenched incumbency on elections.