When Ron DeSantis announced his run for the United States Congress in 2012, he wanted to change the way campaigns were funded. He believed that the days of relying on large donations from special interests were over and that the power of the people should be the driving force behind a successful campaign. As such, he pledged to only accept donations from individuals and limit campaign contributions to $200 for direct donations. In addition, DeSantis would only take donations from individual contributors, and not from corporations, labor organizations, or PACs. DeSantis argued that this type of reform would help to reduce the power of special interests, increase transparency, and ensure that elected officials would be beholden to their constituents.
DeSantis’ commitment to reform caused an uproar among opponent groups and members of the political establishment. Opponents argued that DeSantis’ campaign finance limitations would put a damper on the competitive nature of campaigns, as only those independently wealthy could self-fund and wealthier donors could still pass dollar amounts around amongst them. PACs, corporations, and labor groups advocated for their continued ability to donate and voiced opposition to DeSantis’ plans, with a primary goal of keeping the flows of money to campaigns unrestricted.
The pushback against DeSantis was fierce. Nevertheless, DeSantis continued to stand his ground and argued that such reforms were necessary. His campaign ultimately proved successful, and in 2016, DeSantis was elected to Congress.
Since entering Congress, DeSantis was appointed Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Job Creation, and Regulatory Affairs – demonstrating that Congress was still open to DeSantis’ vision of reforming our nation’s campaign finance system. Although DeSantis’ efforts have seen some success, such as the passage of the “Moderate Donor Empowerment Act” in 2016, Congressional reforms that DeSantis envisions still have a long way to go.
