Boston—Today the nonpartisan Reform Voter Project called on retired general Wesley Clark to campaign on cleaning up the influence of special interest money in politics, using President George W. Bush’s prodigious fundraising as an example of excess. “America cannot preach democracy to the world when the leader of our country sells access and influence to special interest contributors,” said David Donnelly, director of the Reform Voter Project. “General Clark should enter this race with a clear condemnation of the current Administration’s pay-to-play politics and a clear vision of how to clean up the financing of America’s elections.” Donnelly cited last year’s Senate contest in Arkansas as a case study regarding how a candidate’s position against reform and the favors a candidate does for special interest contributors can hurt his or her standing on Election Day. This was supported by polling done for the Project just before voters went to the polls. “ The 2002 Arkansas Senate race provides a compelling example for General Clark and for all the Democratic presidential candidates,” stated Donnelly, referring to how money and politics influenced the debate in the race between incumbent Senator Tim Hutchison and the eventual winner, Mark Pryor. “When given a clear choice between a pro-special interest, anti-reform incumbent, and a pro-reform, anti-special interest challenger, the public votes for the reformer. In the race for the White House, we have an anti-reform, pro-special interest incumbent. It’s not clear whether there will be a challenger to make this case.” Donnelly also urged Clark to support fixing the presidential public financing system with the Maine and Arizona Clean Elections laws serving as models, as well as other comprehensive reforms passed in North Carolina, New Mexico, and Vermont. “Candidates with the experience and stature of a Wesley Clark should be able to run viable campaigns for the presidency without having to spend their time only raising big money from the wealthiest Americans living in the wealthiest zip codes,” Donnelly commented. “With President Bush acting as the ‘Solicitor-in-Chief,’ General Clark and the other Democratic candidates should make Bush a poster-child for what’s wrong in American politics. And they should compare and contrast that to what campaign finance reform laws in important states have accomplished: they have reduced the influence of special interest fundraising on candidates and on public policy.” Arizona and Maine are likely to be swing states in the general election. The Reform Voter Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan groups dedicated to holding politicians accountable for special favors they do for big contributors, and for opposing comprehensive campaign finance reform. The Project is the only national campaign finance reform organization engaging in issue advocacy. In 2002, the Project ran a highly successful voter education effort in the U.S. Senate race in Arkansas between the anti-reform incumbent Senator, Tim Hutchinson, and Mark Pryor.