Landrieu urged to Stand by Her Distorted Campaign Finance "Reform" Principles

In the letter reproduced here, the Center urged Senator Landrieu to reject all soft money donations during run-off campaign.

November 7, 2002

VIA FACSIMILE

The Honorable Mary Landrieu
The Friends of Mary Landrieu
1728 St. Charles Ave.
New Orleans, LA  70130

Dear Senator Landrieu:

With the mid-term elections nearly over, all eyes are now focused on your run-off election in December. 

Last year, you proudly took to the Senate floor and voted in favor of the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) to, among other things, effectively eliminate so-called "unregulated soft money" donations by national party committees in federal elections.  In fact, you are a BCRA co-sponsor. 

The Center for Individual Freedom is a named plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of BCRA, as we seek to restore the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans to engage in the political process that you and many of your colleagues so willingly stripped away.

Your campaign reportedly raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in soft money donations for the November 5 contest through joint accounts set up with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — conduct that will be outlawed under BCRA should it be upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.  In addition, according to your October 16 campaign finance report, you accepted tens of thousands of dollars in soft money contributions directly from the Democratic Party — also prohibited under your "reform" legislation.

Per your wishes, as of yesterday, BCRA is the law of the land.  We know that BCRA's provisions do not apply to run-offs, recounts or other contests resulting from the November 5 elections.  However, as a matter of your own, albeit distorted, principles on campaign finance, it would behoove you to reject all soft money donations during the run-off and campaign within the bounds of BCRA.  You voted for it; live by it.  We think many of the election results thus far were votes against hypocrisy; this is your chance to rise above that.

The Center for Individual Freedom is a nonpartisan constitutional advocacy group with the mission to protect and defend individual freedoms and rights in the legal, legislative and educational arenas.  We have and will continue to fight to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans — even those, including you, who seek to subvert those rights.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Mazzella
Sr. Vice President, Legislative Affairs

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