“I also believe that if we’re serious about change, we need to have a real discussion about public financing for congressional elections. Because even if we can stop lobbyists from buying us lunch or taking us out on junkets, they’ll still be able to attend our fundraisers – and that’s access the average American doesn’t have.”

— Barack Obama, August 2, 2007.[1]

Executive Summary

Throughout his career, beginning as an Illinois state senator and extending through his current presidential campaign, President-Elect Barack Obama has been a consistent advocate of legislation to create public financing of elections. In addition to sponsoring legislation in the Illinois state Senate creating public financing for judicial elections, Obama has gone on record in favor of a federal Clean Elections law, and he has repeatedly advocated for the reform of the presidential matching funds program.

It is true, as many critics have noted, that Obama decided to forego public financing for the 2008 primaries and, after signaling he would negotiate with the Republican nominee an agreement to preserve a publicly financed general election. As Obama has explained repeatedly, while he supports public financing of presidential campaigns, he also believes that the system is broken in fundamental ways, including the lack of restrictions on spending by parties and independent groups.

As he said in his video announcing his decision not to take public financing in the general election: “It’s not an easy decision, and especially because I support a robust system of public financing of elections. But the public financing of presidential elections as it exists today is broken, and we face opponents who’ve become masters at gaming this broken system.”[2]

As President-Elect of the United States, it is critically important that Obama follow through on his commitment to fixing the public financing system. President Obama has stated that he will focus first on matters like health care and energy policy, but without fundamental change in a system where corporate lobbyists buy access through campaign donations, any successes on those fronts are likely to be hard won and possibly ephemeral.

Obama’s Record on Campaign Finance Reform

As an Illinois state senator, Obama sponsored legislation to implement some of the toughest campaign finance laws in Illinois history, including a ban on soft money.

• In 1996, Obama said: “You got these $10,000-a-plate dinners and Golden Circle Clubs. I think when the average voter looks at that, they rightly feel they’re locked out of the process. They can’t attend a $10,000 breakfast, and they know that those who can are going to get the kind of access they can’t imagine.”[3]

• In 1998, Obama was one of four legislators who negotiated the toughest campaign finance law in Illinois history. The legislation – which Obama worked on with former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon, was intended to ban the personal use of campaign money by Illinois legislators and banned most gifts from lobbyists. Before the law was passed, Illinois was ranked worst among 50 states by Common Cause for its campaign finance regulations.[4]

• In 2002, Obama sponsored legislation to create a public financing regime for judicial elections. Under the plan, candidates for the state high court would be eligible for a maximum of $750,000 in public financing. Individual donors to candidates for the Supreme Court would be limited to $1,000. To qualify, candidates would have to gather contributions of at least $5 but no more than $25 from 100 people.

“The basic idea is that we want our judges to been seen as impartial and ... willing to serve for the benefit for the public,” Obama said at the time.[5]

As a United States Senator, Obama co-sponsored bills to create public financing of federal campaigns.

• He co-sponsored S 2412, the Presidential Funding Act of 2007, which would have reformed the presidential matching funds system, limited party contributions and soft money, and required presidential campaign committees to disclose information about bundled contributions.

• He co-sponsored S 1285, the Fair Elections Now Act of 2007, which would have created a full public financing system for Senate candidates.

As a candidate for president, Obama has expressed his support for public financing of elections.

· At a town hall meeting in March 2007, Obama said:

“Ultimately I think the what we’re gonna have to do is institute … public financing of campaigns. And Dick Durbin and myself and others have introduced a bill. Dick I know is at one of the house parties, [he] has crafted a very intelligent approach to public financing of campaigns. Not just anyone could access it, you’d have to get a certain number of signatures, collect a certain number of $5 contributions to show that you have significant support, and then you could potentially access, uh, this public financing in exchange for a pledge that you’d only spend so much, you wouldn’t spend a lot of your money and so forth.”[6]

• Obama signed a 2007 Midwest Democracy Network questionnaire indicating his support for public financing:

Obama: Yes. I have been a long-time advocate for public financing of campaigns combined with free television and radio time as a way to reduce the influence of moneyed special interests.[7]

• Obama signed a 2007 Common Cause questionnaire expressing support for Clean Elections.

Obama: I agree with the campaign reform model in Maine and Arizona, which provides public funding for qualified candidates who agree to spending limits and to stop accepting private contributions, and I believe we need such reform at the federal level. I will make passage of such legislation one of my priorities in my campaign, and in my presidency if elected.[8]

• In 2007, Obama explained his support for public financing from the Senate floor:

“I also believe that if we’re serious about change, we need to have a real discussion about public financing for congressional elections. Because even if we can stop lobbyists from buying us lunch or taking us out on junkets, they’ll still be able to attend our fundraisers – and that’s access the average American doesn’t have.”[9]

• During the primary debates, Obama expressed his support for public financing at the Yearly Kos debate in August 2007:

“And so the one thing I want to just be clear about is part of the analysis for all of you is who’s got a track record on doing this? Here in Illinois I passed the first campaign finance reform in 25 years right here in Illinois. We just passed an ethics reform bill that is going to allow you to see who’s bungling. And the reason is because myself and Russ Feingold forced that provision in.

“And by the way, it was resisted not just by Republicans, but by some Democrats. So we can take concrete steps right now. Now, I agree that our long-term goal has to be public financing…”[10]

· And again expressed his support at a debate on MSNBC in January 2008:

“Ultimately, what I’d like to see is a system of public financing of campaigns, and I’m a co-sponsor of the proposal that’s in the Senate right now. That’s what we have to fight for. In the meantime, what I’m very proud of is to make sure that we continue to make progress at the federal level to push back the influence that lobbyists have right now, and that’s something that I’m going to continue to work on.”[11]

• In 2008, Obama wrote an op-ed for USA Today expressing support for public financing:

“The decision not to participate in the public financing system wasn’t an easy one – especially because I support a robust system of public financing of elections. But the public financing of presidential elections, as it exists today, is broken – and the Republican Party apparatus has mastered the art of gaming this broken system.”[12]

• In the last days of the election, Obama campaign spokesman Nick Shapiro said that public financing will be a presidential priority:

“[Obama] cannot fix it by embracing it in its broken state. He can, however, make it a priority as president to fix it through the reform legislation he has co-sponsored – and he has made that commitment.”[13]