Candidates Agree Campaign Financing Reform Is Needed In Ohio But Disagree On The Solution

The opponents of Issue 2, the Drug Price Relief Act, recently outspent backers of that proposal by a four to one margin. And most of the money in the opposition’s campaign war chest couldn’t be directly traced because it was in an LLC rather than a traditional political action committee. This has raised questions once again about campaign finance reform, something both the Democrat and Republican candidates say is needed. Republican Secretary of State candidate Sen. Frank LaRose says the state needs to put something in place to make sure voters know who is funding political campaigns. “The number one goal in my mind needs to be transparency," LaRose explains.Democratic Secretary of State Candidate Rep. Kathleen Clyde agrees transparency needs to be achieved but also wants changes in contribution limits statewide. “Our limits could be brought down and I am looking at legislation to do just that,” Clyde says.But LaRose says it might be a challenge to overcome federal court ordered limits on restricting candidates and adds contribution limits haven’t generally worked in states that have them. Copyright 2017 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.