If rich candidate spends a lot, Dean suggests, lift contribution caps for foe

By John Sanko
Denver Rocky Mountain News Capitol Bureau

House Speaker Doug Dean is toying with an idea he says could prevent wealthy candidates from buying elections.

When candidates can pour huge amounts of their own money into a campaign, Dean said, opponents should be freed of any cap on how much they can accept from backers.

Dean said Wednesday he may introduce such legislation because of what he considers a "dangerous precedent" set by Boulder millionaire Jared Polis, a Democrat who spent nearly $1 million of his money to win a seat on the state Board of Education.

"It doesn't matter what the party is (Republican or Democrat)," Dean said. "I think it's wrong for anyone to buy an election. You can't stop somebody from putting money into his own campaign. But you should at least make it fair."

Polis, who beat incumbent Republican Ben Alexander by 90 votes out of 1.6 million cast, called the proposal a "special interest empowerment bill."

"All it would accomplish would be to deliver state government into the hands of moneyed interests on a silver platter," Polis said.

"If his bill passes, and a candidate uses some of his own money to run for office, then Dean would be able to take more money from his largest contributors, which include the NRA, US West, AT&T, Philip Morris and the Realtors Association. This is not real campaign finance reform."

Pete Maysmith, the program director for Colorado Common Cause, which helped persuade voters in 1996 to put tight caps on campaign contributions, called Dean's suggestion ridiculous.

"It's a completely irresponsible way of trying to get at the issue of personal wealth," Maysmith said.

"This is always the 'boogeyman' that is trotted out by people who don't like campaign reform — that a rich person can buy office. Well, Ross Perot didn't do it. Bruce Benson didn't do it. Steve Schuck didn't do it."

Perot poured millions of his own dollars into two failed presidential campaigns. Benson and Schuck, both Colorado Republicans, spent $1.6 million and $1.4 million, respectively, in unsuccessful bids to become governor.

Dean said Arizona and other states have laws similar to the one he is considering.

Senate president-elect pro tem Ed Perlmutter, D-Jefferson County, predicts such legislation would go nowhere.

"We haven't had too many incidents like Jared Polis in this state," Perlmutter said.

The comments came only a day after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a new law enacted this year by Colorado lawmakers rendered much of the legal fight over 1996's Amendment 15 moot.

U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Sparr tossed out the limits on individual contributions as unconstitutional in 1999 because they were too low. Lawmakers set significantly higher contribution limits during their last session.

Because of the legislative action, the three-judge appeals panel agreed it was pointless to fight over the lower limits.

But it also threw out two other sections of Amendment 15. One required that independent campaign expenditures of more than $1,000 be disclosed and the second required disclaimers that the expenditures were not authorized by the candidate.

Colorado Common Cause will likely be back in 2002 with a new ballot measure to set lower contribution limits than the legislature approved, which were $5,000 for governor, $2,500 for lieutenant governor and other statewide races, $1,500 for state Senate or district attorney, and $1,000 for a state House seat.

Amendment 15 had $1,000 limits for most state statewide races and $200 for legislative candidates.

Colorado Common Cause and other groups pushing for campaign reform have learned their lesson, Maysmith said. Their next ballot measure will be a constitutional amendment that can be changed only with a vote of the people.

"Obviously, the legislature has proven they cannot be trusted around the issue of money in politics," Maysmith said.

Contact John Sanko at (303) 892-5404 or at sankoj@RockyMountainNews.com.