03.25.02

Senate Overwhelmingly Passes Campaign Finance Reform

Cantwell Votes for Bill, Fulfilling Key Campaign Pledge

The U.S. Senate today passed the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill in a 60-40 vote. Its passage fulfilled a key campaign pledge of Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), who made campaign finance reform a centerpiece of her campaign. During her campaign, Cantwell refused both PAC and soft money contributions.

Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) credited Senator Cantwell for playing a leadership role in passing the legislation. "One of our newest members, Senator Maria Cantwell, also gave us important momentum when she made campaign finance reform a central issue in her campaign and gave this bill her strong support," Feingold said. "After her victory, the off-repeated claim that no Senator has ever lost an election over this issue can no longer be made."

"This bill forces all of us - candidates, parties, and groups that seek to influence the outcome of elections - to play by the same rules and raise and spend money in lower amounts," Cantwell said. "It took an extra year to get this bill through the House and send it to the President, but my wait has been nothing like that of the wait of the Senators from Arizona and Wisconsin who have fought for years for its passage."

The legislation bans unlimited soft-money contributions to political parties from special interests and requires that thinly-veiled political campaign ads funded by special interest groups follow the same rules as candidate ads. It also limits soft-money contributions to local and state parties to $10,000.