Congress candidate blasts ‘pay to play’ campaign finance
Reichard says big money has too much influence
The Democrat hoping to unseat Republican-Conservative U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan in the Nov. 8 election blasted the country’s campaign finance system, charging that the system is broken and in desperate need of reform.
In one of his first major public statements, Richard Reichard, a retired New York City Department of Finance human resources director, vowed to fight what he said is the corrupting influence of big money on politics in the wake of the controversial Citizens United decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I’m not running for Washington to change me, I’m running to change Washington,“ Reichard said.
Reichard, who charged that a “pay to play” system gives big donors a large say in how government operates, said he would work to overturn Citizens United and that a majority of Americans want reforms. “The American people overwhelmingly support campaign finance reform. They believe that money has too much influence in political campaigns and in our law making,” he stated.