Follow the money in Fifth District campaigns

The Snoqualmie Valley Record’s October 27 story “Fifth District Funds” traces the money trail of all four candidates for our local State Legislature campaigns.

Tallying the top contributors shows incumbent Jay Rodne’s top 13 are all political action committees (PACs), corporations, professional associations, most from outside the 5th District, and at least three from outside the state.

So, $20,800, or 50 percent of Rodne’s $42,000 in campaign spending, came from political action commitees, corporations and associations.

Incumbent Glenn Anderson’s ‘top ten’ yielded $13,000, or 31 percent, from similar groups.

Meanwhile, the opponents to Rodne and Anderson, candidates Greg Hoover and David Spring, together raised a total of $39,187, with only 10,450, or 27 percent, coming from corporations, unions and associations.

So what chance do the views or contributions of the individual voters have against the dominating influence and control of PACs, corporations, unions and professional associations outside the district and state organizations? Will ordinary citizens’ opinions ever count without a total reform of how campaigns are funded? Up the ladder of control to state and national campaigns, an estimated $4 billion campaign war chest went to all parties this year; 80 percent of that money goes for television ads.

The Valley Record’s Oct. 27 cartoon captures that tab with “Garbage In, Garbage Out.”

Tom Shea

Snoqualmie

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