Money is a big part of political campaigns. It is nearly impossible to win a council or legislative seat without cash, and it is completely impossible to win a statewide or congressional race. Clean Elections was supposed to level the playing field to some extent by providing public financing for candidates and offering matching funds for people who were running against opponents with a higher level of private money, but Clean Elections has been defanged by the US Supreme Court, and a Maricopa County superior court judge declined to issue a temporary injunction blocking higher private contribution limits from going into effect.
So where is campaign financing in Arizona now? Chris Herstam, former state legislative leader and former member of the state Board of Regents and David Schapira, former state senate minority leader, discussed this issue.
