Mizeur Proposes Strengthening Public Campaign Financing

Del. Heather Mizeur has opted to participate in Maryland’s public campaign finance system, and has also proposed strengthening the system if she’s elected governor.

Mizeur, who is seeking the Democratic Party’s gubernatorial nomination, proposes limiting donations to candidates to $250, and the state will then provide a one-to-one match of donated funds up to $4 million for a gubernatorial candidate. Candidates, who would have to opt into the system, would then be barred from accepting donations from corporations and political action committees.

Her campaign, citing Maryland’s Study Commission on Public Funding of Elections, estimate the cost of implementing the public financing system to be $39 million, and believe the Public Election Fund would only need to receive $9.75 million annually. The Mizeur campaign proposes paying for the system with a 12 percent surcharge on District Court fines.      

"Publicly funded campaigns restore public confidence in our electoral system. Eleven states, including Maryland, provide some public funding for state elections, but only three states—Arizona, Maine and Connecticut —have instituted full public financing of campaigns for all state public offices," Mizeur’s proposal reads. "In order to truly reduce the influence of money in our state elections, all elected officials need the opportunity to focus more on their constituents and less on their donors."