New Mexico U.S. Senator Tom Udall has introduced a constitutional amendment intended to allow Congress and the states to regulate campaign contributions and expenditures.
“Letting this go unchecked is a threat to our democracy. Campaigns should be about the best ideas, not the biggest checkbooks,” Mr. Udall said at the press conference.
“The Supreme Court’s decision to encourage the corrosive effects special interest money is having on the election process fundamentally contradicts the American ideal that campaigns should be about the best ideas and not the biggest bank accounts,” the New Mexico Democrat added.
The New Mexico Democrat announced the proposal just days after the U.S. Supreme Court opened its yearly session. The court issued the controversial ruling in 2010, which provoked an uproar from Democrats, who said the ruling would effectively allow a flood of unreported cash to infiltrate the political system.
The Supreme Court concluded in a highly controversial 5 to 4 ruling that corporations deserve the same free speech protections as individual Americans, enabling them to spend freely from their corporate treasuries on campaign advertising.
Mr. Udall’s proposal would authorize Congress to regulate the raising and spending of money for federal political campaigns, including independent expenditures, and allow states to regulate such spending at their level. It would also provide for implementation and enforcement of the amendment through legislation.
