Office: \u00a0U.S. House, PA 4<\/b><\/p>\n
Elections: \u00a02006, 2008, 2010, 2012<\/b><\/p>\n
by Frank Kirkwood<\/p>\n
In 2005, I created a website called CleanElectionsPA.org. \u00a0The purpose was to gather and post candidates\u2019 statements about publicly funded elections. \u00a0I contacted all candidates for the Pennsylvania Legislature and Governor in the 2006 elections, as well as U.S. House candidates in Pennsylvania. \u00a0I asked them to make a statement about publicly funded elections, in favor or against, and I then posted their statements on-line.<\/p>\n
Among those candidates was Jason Altmire of the 4th Congressional District, where I lived at the time. \u00a0He and several other Democrats were seeking to challenge Melissa Hart, the Republican incumbent. \u00a0Altmire sent me a favorable statement about publicly funded elections and I posted it. \u00a0At a public forum, I challenged all of the Democratic candidates to address the issue. \u00a0Altmire spoke with passion and conviction, saying that if there was one thing he would fix in Washington, it was the money-in-politics problem. \u00a0Altmire won the primary.<\/p>\n
Between the primary and general elections, Common Cause, Public Campaign, and Public Citizen, put up a website calling for candidates to take the \u201cVoters First\u201d Pledge, a pledge asking candidates to state their support for publicly funded elections and other reforms. \u00a0Altmire agreed to sign it. \u00a0He also stated his support for publicly funded elections in Project Vote Smart\u2019s 2006 \u201cCongressional National Political Awareness Test\u201d.<\/p>\n
Publicly funded elections became something of an issue in the heavily contested general election campaign. \u00a0Hart ran radio ads criticizing Altmire\u2019s support for it. \u00a0Altmire won.<\/p>\n
After the election, in an article<\/a> about business self-interests eagerly giving money to Altmire\u00a0and other newly-elected member of Congress, he was quoted as saying, \u201cI’d support and work hard to pass any bill that takes money out of politics\u201d.<\/p>\n He signed the \u201cVoter\u2019s First\u201d Pledge again, ahead of his re-election bid in 2008.<\/p>\n