“When Janeese Lewis George announced earlier this month that she would challenge D.C. Council member Brandon Todd (D-Ward 4) in next June’s Democratic primary, she knew she would face an uphill battle. According to his first campaign finance filing, Todd, a prodigious fundraiser and two-time incumbent, took in $180,000 in two months.
But George, a former assistant D.C. attorney general, now has a way to catch up: public money. This is the first election cycle since the D.C. Council approved a new program that offers public funds to candidates for office who swear off big-dollar contributions. Once a candidate qualifies for the Fair Elections Program, every $50 contribution from a D.C. resident is matched with $250 in public funds.
For George, public financing could turn an initial haul of $5,000 from 150 D.C. residents into more than $65,000 in matching funds, plus a $20,000 base payment for qualifying for the program.
“Fair Elections is allowing for more candidates who are representative of the city and from all different backgrounds to have a fighting chance,” George says. “Shirley Chisholm said, ‘If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.’ And I think Fair Elections gives more people the opportunity to bring a folding chair to the table.”
“Fair Elections is allowing for more candidates who are representative of the city and from all different backgrounds to have a fighting chance,” George says. “Shirley Chisholm said, ‘If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.’ And I think Fair Elections gives more people the opportunity to bring a folding chair to the table.”