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Predictable Results in NJ “Clean Elections” Experiment
Published on November 7, 2007
New Jersey's "clean elections" pilot program concluded yesterday with predictable results - massive amounts of government funds spent and elections that were not competitive.
The pilot program gave government grants to qualifying candidates running for state Senate and state Assembly in District 14, District 24, and District 37. The candidates received in excess of $4 million in government grants.
The government subsidies in the state Senate races resulted in an average margin of victory of 38 percent. Results in the Assembly races were similar. The District 24 Assembly race saw victory margins of close to 19 percent and District 37's Assembly race victory margins were close to 21 percent. All incumbents who ran in the general election also secured reelection.
"The so-called ‘clean elections' pilot program proved to be an expensive experiment that resulted in predictable outcomes," said Steve Hoersting, vice president of the Center for Competitive Politics. "The results mirror a previous government study of similar programs in Maine and Arizona. It's clear that so-called ‘clean elections' do little to increase competitiveness."
The one tight race was the District 14 Assembly race which was narrowly won by incumbent Linda Greenstein and Wayne DeAngelo. But the District 14 race included independent expenditures criticizing the candidates for their positions on gay marriage. Greenstein received the maximum amount of "rescue money" - $100,000 - while DeAngelo received $14,254.77.
"The District 14 results indicate that the only way to make government-financed elections competitive is to run independent expenditures," concluded Hoersting.
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