Every day we see more evidence that the issue of campaign finance is one that deserves some examination. Our keynoter and panel provided an interesting and thoughtful discussion of the “cost” of running for office and staying there.
Estimates suggest that the typical member of Congress spends between 25% and 50% of his or her day fundraising for their campaign war chest. House members, on average, each raised $1,689,580, an average of $2,315 every day during the 2012 cycle. Senators, on average, each raised $10,476,451, an average of $14,351 every day during the 2012 cycle. As the costs increase, the growing dependence on SuperPACs and corporate sources are also increasing. While officeholders insist that their votes are independent of the sources of their funding, the issue remains: Is this the best government that our nation can have, or merely the best government that money can buy? Representing both sides of the issue, our panel examined the influence of money, the recent Supreme Court rulings, and whether there is a need for campaign finance reform.
Moderator: Scott MacKay, Political Analyst for Rhode Island Public Radio
Keynote and Panelist: Tony Corrado, Professor of Government at Colby College and one of the nation’s leading experts on political finance reform
Other Panelists:
- John Walsh, 2006 Campaign Manager for Governor Deval Patrick, Chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, Head of the TogetherPAC, and the Principal of Walsh Strategies
- Mike Stenhouse, Chief Executive Officer of the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity
- John Marion, Executive Director of Common Cause Rhode Island
- Josh Israel, Senior Investigative Reporter for Think Progress
The event was made possible by the support of the Rhode Island College Committee on College Lectures.