New Hampshire Voters Frustrated by Special Interests

Poll Shows Republican Primary Voters Want Reform

MANCHESTER, N.H., Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new poll released this week by Americans for Campaign Reform and the Committee for Economic Development shows deep frustration among likely New Hampshire Primary voters over the increasing influence of special interest money on the federal government. The poll, fielded by The University of New Hampshire Survey Center between September 26 and October 4, shows that 57% of likely New Hampshire Primary voters said thy are "not confident at all" that the president and Congress can work together.

Almost 8 in 10 likely GOP Primary voters think members of Congress are more interested in serving special interest groups than the people they represent and more than half acknowledge that political contributions influence what the federal government does.

About two thirds (61%) of likely NH Republican Primary voters "strongly disagree" with the Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case asserting that political spending by corporations and unions is a form of free speech protected under the First Amendment. This 2010 decision allows corporations, unions, and non-profit groups to spend unlimited money for election purposes and political advertising without disclosing the source of their funding. What's more, 73% of likely New Hampshire GOP Primary voters would "strongly support" a law that would require corporations, unions and non-profits to disclose their sources of spending when they participate in elections. And seventy percent would be more likely to support candidates who would support such a law.

When asked about other reforms, almost half (40%) of likely New Hampshire Republican Primary voters said they would support a proposal for public funding of all federal elections that would allow candidates who collect a large number of small contributions (up to a maximum of $100) from their home state to receive public matching funds on a five-to-one basis to run their campaigns. By a two-to-one margin (45% to 21%), likely New Hampshire Republican Primary voters said they would be more likely to support a candidate who supported a public funding system.

"This new poll reinforces CED's belief that we continue to need comprehensive campaign finance reform. Our business leaders have worked for more than a decade to lessen the impact of money in politics. Respondents in this poll recognize that the Citizen's United decision was a step backwards in the effort to reform the system. In this election cycle, we are saying to business people, 'don't contribute, but if you do contribute – disclose,'" said CED President Charles Kolb.

According to John Rauh, founder and President of Americans for Campaign Reform, "With the Primary only a couple of months away, it's startling to see the depth of concern that voters who are likely to turn out for the New Hampshire Republican Primary have over the influence of special interest money. It's reassuring, though, to see how receptive these voters are to major reform that will give average voters a greater say in what goes on in Washington." More information on the poll can be found here.

Americans for Campaign Reform (ACR) is a non-profit bipartisan organization dedicated to enacting public funding of federal elections. ACR Is chaired by former Senators Bill Bradley (D-NJ), Bob Kerrey (D-NE), Warren Rudman (R-NH), and Al Simpson (R-WY). Information can be found at www.ACRreform.org.

CED is a non-profit, non-partisan business led public policy organization. CED is dedicated to policy research on major economic and social issues and the implementation of its recommendations by the public and private sectors. Membership is made up of some 200 senior corporate executives and university leaders who lead CED's research and outreach efforts. Information can be found at www.ced.org.

Contact: Rob Werner
[email protected]
603-227-0626
Contact: Morgan Broman
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202-469-7814

SOURCE Committee for Economic Development