FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 26, 2009  

Media Contact:
Rick Bielke, Public Campaign, rbielke@publicampaign.org
Mary Boyle, Common Cause, mboyle@CommonCause.org

Washington, D.C.—Today, The Washington Post published a front-page article on earmarks that Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.) secured for a handful of campaign contributors, none of which were based in his home state of Indiana.

“The reported connections between Rep. Visclosky’s campaign contributors and the earmarks he secured are just another example of Washington’s pay-to-play political system,” said Nick Nyhart, president and CEO of Public Campaign.

“Sadly, it’s no longer a surprise to see these sorts of stories play out in Washington,” said Bob Edgar, president and CEO of Common Cause. “Rep. Visclosky can make it clear to his constituents that their interests, not those of powerful campaign contributors, come first by supporting the Fair Elections Now Act.”

The Fair Elections Now Act would allow congressional candidates to run for office without having to rely on big campaign contributions. Candidates could run their campaigns using a mixture of small donations and public funding, and take office unencumbered by the agendas and expectations of large donors.

The legislation (S. 752 and H.R. 1826) was introduced in March by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and House Democratic Caucus Chair John Larson (D-Conn.) In addition to Rep. Larson, the House Fair Elections Now Act has 107 cosponsors.

To learn more about Fair Elections, visit www.fairelectionsnow.org.

Common Cause is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to restoring the core values of American democracy, reinventing an open, honest, and accountable government that works for the public interest, and empowering ordinary people to make their voices heard.

Based in Washington, D.C., Public Campaign is a national non-profit non-partisan organization dedicated to sweeping campaign reform laws that aim to dramatically reduce the role of big money in politics.