Three leading national watchdog groups (Common Cause, Public Campaign Action Fund and Public Citizen) have been contacting candidates for Congress and asking them to show their support for comprehensive campaign finance reform by signing the "Voters First" Pledge, which calls on them to put the voters first by supporting a system of public funding known as Clean Elections or Fair Elections.

Below are the responses from Congressional candidates in Pennsylvania (from Voters First Pledge.org):

THESE CANDIDATES FOR CONGRESS HAVE SIGNED
THE "VOTERS FIRST" PLEDGE

THESE CANDIDATES FOR CONGRESS HAVE NOT SIGNED
THE "VOTERS FIRST" PLEDGE

If your candidates for Congress have not yet signed the Pledge, contact them (click on their name) and ask them "Why not?". (Not sure which district you live in (click here).

Those candidates who claim they are going to Washington to make changes, whether in financial regulation, healthcare, the environment, taxation, etc., should be asked how they can expect to make those changes in a political environment where incumbent members of Congress are going to continue to be dependent on the same small number of self-interested campaign funders and where challengers will continue to lack the resources necessary to mount serious campaigns against those incumbents.

CURRENT MEMBERS OF CONGRESS FROM PENNSYLVANIA AND PUBLIC FUNDING

Prior to the 2006 general election, over 330 candidates for Congress from across the country, including 18 from Pennsylvania, signed the Voters First Pledge 2006 (VFP), an effort organized nationally by the Public Campaign Action Fund, Common Cause, Public Citizen, and other national and state groups. Signers of the pledge agree to put the voters' interests ahead of the lobbyists' interests by calling for real campaign finance reform, including publicly funded elections.

A majority of Pennsylvania's current members of Congress (12 of 21) have indicated their support for publicly funded elections by signing the Voters First Pledge in 2006 and 2008, by their public statements, or by completing the "Political Courage Test" sent to candidates by the web-based organization Project Vote Smart.

Project Vote Smart has for years asked candidates for Congress if they "Support public taxpayer funding for federal candidates who comply with campaign spending limits." In a remarkably "uncourageous" decision, they have decided to drop this question from their 199-item, congressional candidate "Political Courage Test" for 2008. This question had been the top question in the "Campaign Finance and Government Reform" section of that test since, at least, 2002.

CURRENT PUBLIC FUNDING BILLS IN CONGRESS

In the U.S. House of Representatives, Pennsylvania Representatives Chaka Fattah, Joe Sestak, and Todd Platts are co-sponsors of the  Clean Money, Clean Elections Act (H.R. 1614) providing for publicly funded campaigns for candidates for the United States House of Representatives.

In the United States Senate, Senator Arlen Specter, along with Senator Richard Durbin, has introduced the Fair Elections Now Act (S. 1285) providing for publicly funded election campaigns for candidates running for the United States Senate. Senator Barack Obama is a co-sponsor, Senator McCain is not.

[NOT SURE WHICH DISTRICT YOU LIVE IN? CLICK HERE]

THESE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS FROM PENNSYLVANIA HAVE INDICATED SUPPORT FOR PUBLICLY FUNDED ELECTIONS