GOP Senators Foil Bid to Reform Campaign Finance

Outnumbered Senate Republicans, following up on their 53-hour filibuster, sealed the fate of a Democratic campaign finance reform bill today by defeating a motion to limit debate and force a vote on the legislation.

Senate Democratic leader Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia needed 60 votes to win cloture, but the vote was only 53 to 41 in favor of Byrd’s motion, seven short.

The defeat marked the eighth time--a Senate record--that Byrd has tried and failed to force a vote on the measure, which would set voluntary spending caps for congressional candidates and limit the total amount of contributions political action committees could receive.

Byrd had a majority in the Democratic-controlled Senate to pass the measure, but he could not get sufficient GOP support to win the tougher cloture vote.

Despite the draining defeat, Byrd said he had succeeded in focusing public attention on the growing influence of PAC contributions.

“The people surely are better informed about this evil that threatens to undermine the integrity of this institution,” Byrd told reporters. “The more their attention is called to this evil, the more they will demand that their senators stop it.”

‘Not Going to Go Away’

“It’s not going to go away,” Byrd vowed. “We will revisit this issue in one form or another.”

Republicans charged the legislation was tilted in favor of Democrats and would unconstitutionally restrict the right of Americans to contribute to congressional campaigns.

“We will never agree to put a limit on how many people can participate in the political process through limited, fully disclosed cash contributions,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). “It is bad public policy.”

GOP members spent much of the past week making their position stick with a bitter filibuster that included the parliamentary arrest of Sen. Bob Packwood (R-Ore.) on orders from Byrd.