Self-Financed Checchi Urges Government-Funded Campaigns

After spending part of his personal fortune on a record-setting bid for governor, Democrat Al Checchi said Saturday that future political campaigns should be publicly financed to generate better candidates and avoid corruption.

Checchi took a swipe at some of his campaign rivals--and a few who had opted out of the race--by derisively suggesting that their only qualification for office was a government career that could generate lucrative contributions.

“Nobody said these people were qualified or not. . . . It was all about who had the access to money,” Checchi told an audience at the Asian and Pacific Islander Gubernatorial Forum in Alhambra.

“This has got to change,” he added. “For a state with 33 million people, don’t you think it is kind of ridiculous that we would pick our leaders based on who has hung around long enough to create this Rolodex to raise money?”

Checchi’s Democratic rivals in the governor’s race--Lt. Gov. Gray Davis and Rep. Jane Harman--have raised a similar complaint about his money.

They suggest he is trying to “buy the election” by overwhelming his competitors with his personal wealth.

Checchi is expected to spend more than $30 million before the June 2 primary, probably turning this into the most expensive state race in U.S. history.

Observers suspect that Harman--who is also using some of her personal fortune--may spend half that much, while the Davis campaign, whose candidate leads in the polls, is expected to cost about $6 million.

Checchi, however, portrayed himself as the underdog who has drawn the fire of a political system trying to defend the status quo.

“It is very expensive to challenge this system, and I’ve got every vested interest known to man up against me,” he said. “If I get elected, I’m changing this system. And I’m the most frightening thing they can think of.”

In addition to public financing of campaigns, Checchi said he would seek mandated free television time for candidates and limits on special interest contributions.