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Wamp, Ramsey, Republicans Plot Fundraising Shenanigans
From the Chattanooga Times Free Press 05/22/2009:
Wamp, McCormick discussed lifting caps
NASHVILLE — Republican gubernatorial hopeful Zach Wamp, who would benefit from an amendment eliminating restrictions on campaign contributions, contacted Rep. Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, who is pushing the proposal, the state lawmaker said Thursday.
“I think its fair to say he’s supportive of it,” said Rep. McCormick, a Wamp supporter, but he noted, “I did not run the specific language by him.”
Rep. McCormick said he first spoke last year with the Chattanooga congressman about the issue of self-funded candidates. More recently, the legislator said, he got a brief text message from the congressman.
“It was a very vague text message I got from him saying, why don’t we do something about the millionaire’s clause,” Rep. McCormick said, adding it was sufficient to “prompt my memory.”
Rep. McCormick said he put the amendment on another bill dealing with gubernatorial fundraising because “it was the only way to level the playing field when you have a candidate that can afford to write a check for millions of dollars for their own campaign.”
The bill he amended Wednesday is one bill pushed by legislative allies of Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, the Senate speaker who also plans to run for governor. It exempts sitting legislators running for governor from a mid-1990s ban on fundraising during the legislative session.
Both U.S. Rep. Wamp, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and fellow Republican Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons have raised concerns about the ability of GOP rival and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, whose family founded Pilot Corp., to self-fund his campaign if necessary.
Haslam campaign spokesman Jeremy Harrell said of the amendment “that’s a matter for the legislature to decide.”
Mr. Haslam has said he does not intend to self-fund but has not ruled it out.
U.S. Rep. Wamp, R-Tenn., ignored two separate requests for interviews Thursday.
Wamp campaign spokesman John Crisp said he could not address any communications Rep. McCormick and the congressman may have had.
But he said Rep. McCormick has “made some good points that very wealthy candidates should not be able to influence the outcome of elections.”
Mr. Crisp also said U.S. Rep. Wamp, a Chattanoogan, believes that while “the legislature and the governor should decide this issue, his preference is any changes to the current campaign finance laws should not become effective until after the 2010 election.”
That would prevent any “inherent conflict in changing the law to help any particular candidate this time around,” Mr. Crisp said.
That appeared to be a dig at efforts by Lt. Gov. Ramsey’s efforts. Congress has no such ban.
Current law limits contributions to statewide state candidates to $2,500 per election, effectively $5,000 per campaign cycle.
“If somebody wants to give $1 million, or $100,000 or whatever, that should be all right,” Rep. McCormick told colleagues in offering the amendment in the State and Local Government Committee this week.
It requires such contributions to be reported within seven days.
The Associated Press quoted Lt. Gov. Ramsey saying he backs Rep. McCormick’s amendment.
But House Democratic Caucus Chairman Mike Turner of Nashville said he opposes it, calling it a “bad precedent.”
He said he agreed to the easing of the fundraising ban for lawmakers running for governor because it was fair for Lt. Gov. Ramsey as well as Sen. Roy Herron, D-Dresden, a declared candidate, and Senate Minority Jim Kyle, D-Memphis, who is weighing a bid.
But Rep. Turner said Rep. McCormick’s amendment “is a killer for the whole thing.”
Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen, a millionaire who has dipped into his wallet to some degree when necessary during his political career, said Thursday “there’s a fundamental difference between someone” someone who self funds and raising large sums from others.
“Obviously,” said Gov. Bredesen, who is barred by law from a third term, “if somebody puts $25,000 to $50,000 in a race ... as an outside party, I think the chance for some expectation that they’re getting for that is much larger than somebody who puts in their own money.”
The Ramsey bill also means the maximum individuals could give to legislative candidates in a two-year cycle would rise from $2,000 to $2,800, while the most they could give to gubernatorial candidates would increase from $5,000 to $7,000.
Wamp, McCormick discussed lifting caps
NASHVILLE — Republican gubernatorial hopeful Zach Wamp, who would benefit from an amendment eliminating restrictions on campaign contributions, contacted Rep. Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, who is pushing the proposal, the state lawmaker said Thursday.
“I think its fair to say he’s supportive of it,” said Rep. McCormick, a Wamp supporter, but he noted, “I did not run the specific language by him.”
Rep. McCormick said he first spoke last year with the Chattanooga congressman about the issue of self-funded candidates. More recently, the legislator said, he got a brief text message from the congressman.
“It was a very vague text message I got from him saying, why don’t we do something about the millionaire’s clause,” Rep. McCormick said, adding it was sufficient to “prompt my memory.”
Rep. McCormick said he put the amendment on another bill dealing with gubernatorial fundraising because “it was the only way to level the playing field when you have a candidate that can afford to write a check for millions of dollars for their own campaign.”
The bill he amended Wednesday is one bill pushed by legislative allies of Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, the Senate speaker who also plans to run for governor. It exempts sitting legislators running for governor from a mid-1990s ban on fundraising during the legislative session.
Both U.S. Rep. Wamp, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and fellow Republican Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons have raised concerns about the ability of GOP rival and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, whose family founded Pilot Corp., to self-fund his campaign if necessary.
Haslam campaign spokesman Jeremy Harrell said of the amendment “that’s a matter for the legislature to decide.”
Mr. Haslam has said he does not intend to self-fund but has not ruled it out.
U.S. Rep. Wamp, R-Tenn., ignored two separate requests for interviews Thursday.
Wamp campaign spokesman John Crisp said he could not address any communications Rep. McCormick and the congressman may have had.
But he said Rep. McCormick has “made some good points that very wealthy candidates should not be able to influence the outcome of elections.”
Mr. Crisp also said U.S. Rep. Wamp, a Chattanoogan, believes that while “the legislature and the governor should decide this issue, his preference is any changes to the current campaign finance laws should not become effective until after the 2010 election.”
That would prevent any “inherent conflict in changing the law to help any particular candidate this time around,” Mr. Crisp said.
That appeared to be a dig at efforts by Lt. Gov. Ramsey’s efforts. Congress has no such ban.
Current law limits contributions to statewide state candidates to $2,500 per election, effectively $5,000 per campaign cycle.
“If somebody wants to give $1 million, or $100,000 or whatever, that should be all right,” Rep. McCormick told colleagues in offering the amendment in the State and Local Government Committee this week.
It requires such contributions to be reported within seven days.
The Associated Press quoted Lt. Gov. Ramsey saying he backs Rep. McCormick’s amendment.
But House Democratic Caucus Chairman Mike Turner of Nashville said he opposes it, calling it a “bad precedent.”
He said he agreed to the easing of the fundraising ban for lawmakers running for governor because it was fair for Lt. Gov. Ramsey as well as Sen. Roy Herron, D-Dresden, a declared candidate, and Senate Minority Jim Kyle, D-Memphis, who is weighing a bid.
But Rep. Turner said Rep. McCormick’s amendment “is a killer for the whole thing.”
Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen, a millionaire who has dipped into his wallet to some degree when necessary during his political career, said Thursday “there’s a fundamental difference between someone” someone who self funds and raising large sums from others.
“Obviously,” said Gov. Bredesen, who is barred by law from a third term, “if somebody puts $25,000 to $50,000 in a race ... as an outside party, I think the chance for some expectation that they’re getting for that is much larger than somebody who puts in their own money.”
The Ramsey bill also means the maximum individuals could give to legislative candidates in a two-year cycle would rise from $2,000 to $2,800, while the most they could give to gubernatorial candidates would increase from $5,000 to $7,000.
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Comment by Danny Ray Cobb on May 24, 2009 at 9:10pm -
Governor Bredesen is right.
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