Under current Alabama law, individuals, corporations and unions in Alabama can make unlimited contributions to candidates. In 2013, then-Governor Robert Bentley signed into law the Fair Campaign Practices Act, which eliminated the state’s $500 limit per election for direct corporate contributions to candidates.
One candidate for Alabama governor this year wants to change that.
In a Thursday interview with WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program,” gubernatorial candidate Lew Burdette called for a limit to the number of contributions donated to campaigns in Alabama.
“We’re one of five states, five, that allows unlimited campaign contributions,” he said, “and that’s just wrong. It buys favor and influence. Everybody in Alabama knows we have a corrupt state. We’re the fourth most politically corrupt state in Alabama, which just breaks my heart as a lifelong Alabamian growing up in a small town, you know, how can we be the fourth most politically corrupt state? And it starts with the money, right Yaffee? Just follow the money.”
While he did not commit to a specific number that should be the limit, Burdette is trying to set an example by putting self-imposed caps on his own campaign.
“We have to limit campaign contributions, it just can’t be unlimited,” he added, “so that’s why I’ve self-imposed, and people, Yaffee, they said, ‘You know, Lew, you’re so crazy,’ but you know you’ve got to put a stake in the ground and say this is the right thing to do, and so I self-imposed a $10,000 limit on my campaign.”
The candidate did acknowledge that he is not calling for limits on how much of the candidates’ own money can be contributed to a campaign.
“Personal money is one thing,” he said. “We have a couple of candidates in this race and they’re putting a lot of their personal money in there and that’s their prerogative. It’s their money and that’s what they out to do, I mean they should be allowed to do that.”
Burdette also took a shot a Governor Kay Ivey for how much money her campaign has accepted.
“Kay Ivey has accepted $5.3 million in campaign contributions since 2017, greater than $10,000,” he exclaimed. “And all it does is buy favor and influence.”
Michael Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” Weekdays 9-11am on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
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