Adam Smith's blog

Rep. David Lujan, Profile in Clean Elections

Adam Smith — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:10:52 -0500

Rep. David Lujan (D-AZ) was always fascinated by the legislative process and worked behind the scenes for years. In 2002 he was elected to the Phoenix Union School Board which began his career as a public servant. In 2004, Lujan decided to run for the state legislature - and he decided to use the state's Clean Elections system to run.

Immunity for telecoms, not from money's influence

Adam Smith — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:48:27 -0500

On the recently passed FISA legislation, MapLight did the work for us and found that those who voted for the legislation granting retroactive immunity (and supported by the industry) have received nearly double the amount of money in campaign contributions from industry PACs than those who voted against.

A class act.

Adam Smith — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:28:05 -0500

With many in Washington still in shock over the death of Tim Russert last week, members of Congress took to the floor of the House to celebrate Russert's life by passing a resolution honoring him. Some chose to honor big oil.

Claiming Democracy and Reforming the Media

Adam Smith — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:04:15 -0500

"Does anybody want to talk about campaign finance reform?" That's just what Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) said at the opening ceremonies for the National Conference for Media Reform (NCRM) held this past weekend in Minneapolis by Free Press. The conference was preceded by Democracy Day, a one day event organized by FairVote. And we did just what Rep. Ellison asked.

Update from press conference in Annapolis

Adam Smith — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:30:28 -0500

As I mentioned yesterday, Public Campaign along with Common Cause and Progressive Maryland released a report yesterday on the correlation between energy deregulation and campaign contributions.

Power to the Special Interests

Adam Smith — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:27:14 -0500

Do you live in Maryland? Are you paying a ridiculously large increase in your energy costs this year? It probably has something to do with the electricity deregulation legislation that passed in 1999.

Democracy Matters! It does!

Adam Smith — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:19:30 -0500

This past weekend I was fortunate to be able to go to the 8th annual Democracy Matters summit in Albany, NY. I always have a great time when I go to this summit. This year there were over 150 students from campuses across the country.

Happy Holidays from Public Campaign

Adam Smith — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:27:07 -0500

From victories in New Jersey, New Mexico, and North Carolina, to successful implementation of Clean Elections systems in New Jersey and Connecticut, it's been a great year for Clean Elections. The Fair Elections Now Act was introduced in the Senate by Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) and momentum is building in dozens of states to pass Clean Elections. Click here to view the Public Campaign holiday car d. Thanks for all your support this year and just wait to see what happens in 2008!

And the award goes to!

Adam Smith — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 15:15:43 -0500

Our National Field Director, Jeannette Galanis, received a 2007 Ballie Award from the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. Prior to Public Campaign, she ran the ballot initiative that brought an increase in the minimum wage to Colorado.

Candidate Donations from Special Interests Up

Adam Smith — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 10:52:01 -0500

As the cost of running for president and Congress continues to rise, candidates must ask for more and more money from big donors. A new analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics shows that the top giving industries and interests -- all with major stakes in decisions the new president and Congress will make--are happy to oblige.