Six in 10 support codes of conduct

Friday, June 9, 2000

Roger K. Lowe
Dispatch Washington Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON -- Campaigns

have become so nasty and negative that even campaign contributors are disgusted by the way their donations are spent, according to a new survey of donors.

Nearly six in 10 contributors think that campaigns have gotten worse in the past 20 years, according to a bipartisan poll conducted for the Project on Campaign Conduct. Donors are even more fed up than the public, of which 53 percent think campaigns have taken a turn for the worse.

The poll showed that 61 percent of donors would support a campaign code of conduct and that 48 percent would be more likely to give money to a candidate who signed such a document.

The survey of 600 donors was conducted April 25-May 1 by the Democratic polling firm of Lake, Snell, Perry & Associates and the Republican polling firm of Deardorff/The Media Company. The survey covered a variety of donors, including 200 who gave less than $500 to a candidate, 200 who gave more than $500 to a candidate and 200 who donated to business, labor and trial-law political committees.

The Institute for Global Ethics started the Project on Campaign Conduct in 1998 as part of an effort to develop codes of conduct for federal and statewide campaigns in Ohio and Washington.

Brad Rourke, director of the project, said the survey results show widespread demand for cleaner campaigns.

"When even the people who fund campaigns voice serious concern about the tenor of campaigns and call for reform, it is clearly time for a change,'' he said. "Donors are even more aware than the general public of the realities of political life, but they want to see their contributions used more positively.''

Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell endorses codes of conduct for campaigns. Blackwell signed a code of conduct for his 1998 race.

"A candidate's behavior during a political campaign affects the public's perception of, and confidence in, the electoral process,'' Blackwell said in a statement. "Candidates who conduct their campaigns in a fair, respectful and ethical manner will foster trust and restore faith in that process.''

Blackwell was scheduled to attend the news conference in Washington to unveil the survey, but he was unable to because of plane problems in Ohio.

Rourke said the Project on Campaign Conduct had five codes signed in various 1998 Ohio races and hopes to get codes signed in every congressional and statewide race in Ohio and Washington this year.

On Tuesday, Rep. Tony P. Hall, D- Dayton, signed a code of conduct with Regina Burch, who is running against him as a candidate of the Natural Law Policy, he said.