Flood of out-of-state money is tilting the balance for Governor despite controls in the Maine election system

Out-of-State Money Dominating 2014 Gubernatorial Election

From the Maine for Clean Elections reform group’s recent press release on the Governor’s race in Maine:

Augusta, ME – Maine Citizens for Clean Elections released information today showing a
significant increase in contributions from out-of-state donors in recently filed gubernatorial
campaign finance reports compared to the entire 2010 election. With 42 days until the general
election, total out-of-state giving has reached $1,479,562, more than four times what voters saw
in the entire 2010 election from the top three finalists.

“With seven weeks of the most intense fundraising still to go, out-of-state contributors are
playing a larger role than ever before in our politics,” said Andrew Bossie, Executive Director of
Maine Citizens for Clean Elections. “Without a gubernatorial Clean Election option and with
dramatically increased contribution limits, candidates are increasingly using wealthy out-of-state
donors to fund their campaigns at the expense of everyday Maine voters.”

Out-of-state contributors gave $1,479,562 to the gubernatorial candidates, amounting to 21.9%
of the total. In contrast, candidates in the 2010 gubernatorial general election raised only
$349,709 from out-of-state contributors during the entire 2010 election season, amounting to
5.4% of their total receipts. Out-of-state money serves as an increasing source of funding for
Maine gubernatorial candidates.

“Mainers are eager to reject these Washington DC-Style big-money fundraising tactics and
restore our first-in-the-nation Clean Election laws that lift up the voices of everyday voters and
reduce the role of big-money special interests,” said BJ McCollister, Program Director for
MCCE. “Hundreds of volunteers are collecting the signatures needed to advance a referendum
to strengthen our Clean Election and disclosure laws after the courts and lawmakers weakened
them. Elections should be about the wants and needs of Maine voters, not out-of-state donors –
it’s our democracy at stake.”

Read the analysis
here: https://www.mainecleanelections.org/sites/default/files/web/42%20Day_0.pdf

Out-of-state donations flood Maine governor’s race: report