Senate proposal threatens public campaign funding, raises concerns for underfunded candidates

Share
Senator Travis Hutson / Credit: The Florida Channel

Listen:

A new constitutional amendment advanced in a state Senate committee Wednesday that would stop public financing for campaigns for statewide offices. If it passes, it could hurt candidates without much funding.

SJR 114 would repeal a section in the state constitution put in place in 1998. The section allows public financing to go to candidates who agree to certain campaign guidelines. Republican Senator Travis Hutson sponsored the amendment.

“I read an article in the last campaign cycle about how much money the candidates were getting, and realized it was taxpayer dollars, and thought it was absurd.”

Democratic Senator Tina Polsky voted against the bill, saying it targets Democrats.

“It is very clear that the Republican Party has a lot more money, funding, outside groups, special interest groups, who help pay for campaigns than the Democratic Party has in Florida. And, as a result, it seems this would be a negative for Democratic candidates.”

Most public comment was against the bill. Marcus R. McCoy, Jr. is a pastor from Orlando.

“Public financing ensures not only the well-connected and rich have an opportunity to seek elected office. Public financing encourages a more diverse pool of candidates to participate in elections.”

The bill passed favorably in the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, 5 to 3.

 

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

You may also like

student meal
Next school year Hillsborough public schools are offering free meals

Hillsborough Public Schools are offering students free meals for the...

Correspondence Through Poetry. A Mind-Numbing Week.

Father Verses Sons: A Correspondence in Poems by Herbert Gold...

The sound of change: Music’s influence on anti-war and human rights movements

Throughout history, music has served as a powerful catalyst for...

a man in a tye dye shirt talking on a radio microphone
Recreational pot for Florida is on the ballot this fall—let’s talk about it

In four months, Florida voters have the opportunity to vote...

Ways to listen

WMNF is listener-supported. That means we don't advertise like a commercial station, and we're not part of a university.

Ways to support

WMNF volunteers have fun providing a variety of needed services to keep your community radio station alive and kickin'.

Follow us on Instagram

Emo Night Tampa Radio
Player position: