Golden Prioritizes Campaign Finance Reform in Re-election Campaign

Democratic incumbent Rep. Jared Golden of Maine is hoping to push through campaign finance reform if he’s re-elected, a priority for Democrats if they take the White House and Senate and keep the House after the November elections. Golden flipped Maine’s 2nd District seat in 2018 and was initially predicted to have a tough re-election campaign because he barely passed the 50 percent mark after a round of ranked-choice voting in his initial race. But in recent polls, Golden has exceeded the 50 percent threshold that most incumbents need to meet to have a strong chance of keeping their seat. He also has outpaced his Republican opponent, former state rep. Dale Crafts, in millions in fundraising. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report analyzed the 2nd District as leaning “likely Democratic” in the 2020 House election.... During Golden’s first term, he largely focused on veteran affairs, such as increasing funding for VA hospitals and treatments for vets living in rural areas. Golden is a former Marine. But one of his major policy priorities is campaign finance reform. The legislation that Democrats would try to get signed by the next president, if they win the White House and Senate, would be H.R. 1, Rep. John Sarbanes, (D-Md.), said to reporters during a recent virtual roundtable with Maryland Matters. The bill has a host of provisions that would curb voter suppression, create transparency about dark money by requiring political campaigns to disclose their big donors and strengthen rules for super PACs. It also boosts the Federal Election Commission’s oversight abilities, among other things. Golden is a co-sponsor on that bill and introduced his own legislation in July that targets dark money by placing limits on non-profits — some of which have been used to funnel money to influence elections and can avoid disclosing their donors — to spending only 10% of their total funds and requiring them to name their donors if money is spent on elections.