Washington fundraising freeze won’t be too painful. Look at all the cash Inslee, Ferguson have piled up
Suddenly there’s a freeze in the Washington air, and not just the kind that’s bringing heavy snow to the mountains in time for Christmas.
Starting last weekend, an election fundraising freeze of at least 90 days went into effect across Washington. That means every legislator and statewide public official must take a timeout from soliciting and receiving political donations.
It’s an invigorating feeling, isn’t it? Like a light, brisk breeze at your back during the first ski run on a cloudless day at Crystal Mountain. All of us could use a break from election campaigns that run longer every year, driven by political noise machines that never sleep.
Alas, the reprieve is limited because the freeze only covers incumbents, not challengers currently unfettered by public office. It also doesn’t restrict political parties and other organizations from dialing (and emailing, and Facebooking, and tweeting) for dollars.
Most concerning is that the freeze doesn’t apply to the governor when his power is at its peak — after legislators have gone home, when he’s weighing whether to sign or veto controversial bills and budgets passed at the end of the session. There’s been talk in past years of correcting this mistake; we say there’s no reason not to do it now.
Still, the steps that Washington has taken to curtail the influence of special-interest money in government are worth celebrating.
You can thank the voters; in 1992, they approved Initiative 134, a wide-ranging campaign reform measure. The initiative writers were wise to include a fundraising blackout period in the package, mindful that elected officials who rake in reelection dollars when bills and budgets are in play present ethical conflicts and bad optics.
By law, the freeze starts 30 days before the opening of a legislative session; it ends the day the closing gavel falls. Originally, the restrictions continued for 30 days after the session, but in 2006 the law was changed in a nod to political reality. Washington’s primary election had been moved up from September to August, and candidates had less time to raise money.
On Jan. 13, lawmakers are scheduled to return to Olympia for an even-year, 60-day session. Recent history suggests they won’t finish on time. It seems a safe bet, then, that frozen campaign war chests won’t thaw until the calendar turns to spring.
Meanwhile, partisan organizations won’t be shy about filling the void. In a string of breathless email pitches this week, Washington State Democratic Party chair Tina Podlodowski issued the equivalent of a winter storm warning as the freeze took hold:
“This is a challenge for our Democratic leaders like AG Ferguson and Governor Inslee,” she proclaimed, “and it’s a big opportunity for the far right GOPers running to unseat them.”
Oh, brother. Anyone worried that Bob Ferguson and Jay Inslee, Washington’s two Democratic torchbearers, are going to forfeit their fundraising dominance in the next few months should look at both men’s campaign finance reports.
Inslee has already raised $2.5 million as he seeks a third term next year, according to his filings with the Public Disclosure Commission. His closest challenger, Republican Joshua Freed, has raised $145,456.
Ferguson isn’t far off Inslee’s pace, having raised $2 million so far in his bid to stay on as attorney general. That’s $600,000 more than the total amount he raised on his way to reelection in 2016. His Republican opponents? Two have filed with the PDC; neither has raised a dime.
A fundraising freeze is good for democracy, and it arrives at the perfect moment. Washingtonians would do well to observe it through warmhearted, decidedly non-political gestures. Consider giving extra to charities that help so many truly needy folks during the holiday season and the long nights of winter.
Rest assured, incumbent public officials will come out on the other side just fine.