U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) has introduced S3225 to abolish public funding for presidential candidates. There are two kinds of public funding for presidential candidates, primary season matching funds, and general election funding.
Minor party and independent candidates have become the main beneficiaries of this program for the last twenty years. Pat Buchanan could never have got on the ballot in 49 states in November 2000 as the Reform Party nominee, without the $16 million funding from the general election fund.
Ralph Nader in 2000, and Jill Stein in both 2012 and 2016, benefited from the primary season matching funds to help them with ballot access. Gary Johnson for the Libertarians also received primary season matching funds in 2012. The Natural Law Party nominee, John Hagelin, received them in 1996 and 2000. Lenora Fulani received them in 1988 and 1992, and she could never have got on the ballot in all 50 states in 1988 without the money.
Good job, Senator Ernst. ABOLISH THEM. And have all the states abolish public funding for their primaries as well. Make the participants pay the costs. Downsize D.C.
One more bill by the DNC/RNC gangs ???
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NO primaries.
EQUAL ballot access laws via pets only.
PR
AppV
TOTSOP
I agree with you, Jeff.
While the idea has merit, the motive is completely obvious. His goal is to further entrench the duopoly by weakening alternative party candidates. Kind of shameful really.
E.Zachary: Joni Ernst is a she, unless something changed recently. But I agree with you – the idea should be considered even if the motive is obviously bad.
Abolish ballot access laws so subsides to overcome such censorship are moot.
Pat Buchanan said the only reason he wasn’t running in 2000 as the Constitution Party candidate was because of the $16 million the Reform Party was getting. From 8 percent (1996) down to 1/2 of one percent (2000), the RP didn’t get their money’s worth. Pat also said the main reason he was running that year was to increase his speaking fees.