Dukakis Testifies for Prop. 208 Campaign Spending Limits

Former Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis says he sees no reason why California politicians could not operate successfully under campaign contribution limits.

The former Massachusetts governor was the star witness testifying Friday against a federal lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 208, a voter-approved 1996 ballot initiative that set limits but was suspended.

Dukakis said he was astonished by earlier testimony from Garry South, Gov. Gray Davis’ top political advisor, opposing the limits because of the difficulties of grass-roots fund-raising in California.

“If I had 70,000 contributors in a state of 6 million people, it seems to me the governor in this state should be able to develop a [contributor] base of 400,000 people,” Dukakis said.,

“You have 33 million people in this state. That’s 5 1/2 times what we have in my state.” He said the average contribution he received in his gubernatorial campaigns was about $45.

The movement away from fund-raising through barbecues, backyard gatherings and other small events has been “one of the worst things that’s happened in our political system,” he said.

“There’s no human face to politics anymore. You sit in your living room watching these 30-second attack ads. It’s had a profoundly negative effect.”

Dukakis disagreed with many of the expenditures that a campaign consultant testified were needed in legislative races, including polling, several mass mailings and paid phone banks. He said door-to-door campaigning by the candidate and volunteers is much more effective and cheaper.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton, who is hearing the case, said his own experience in running for Superior Court judge in Sacramento County 25 years ago clashed with Dukakis’ testimony.

“I walked precincts every day. We managed to cover less than 40% of the district,” said Karlton, who said he had been helped by his wife, two friends and a number of volunteers.

Dukakis agreed that Proposition 208 wouldn’t stop wealthy candidates from spending unlimited amounts of their own money on their races, but he said those candidates hadn’t done well in California.

“I am willing to take my chances in that type of system [against a wealthy opponent], but it is a dilemma,” he said.

Proposition 208 would allow statewide candidates to collect as much as $1,000 per election from most sources. The limit for legislative candidates would be $500. The proposition also would allow donations of as much as $5,000 a year to political parties.