Rep. Candelora, GOP score clean elections victory

Republican lawmakers, with Representative Vincent Candelora, praised the passage of a proposal on Thursday that would close loopholes in campaign finance laws and clean up Connecticut’s public financing system. Candelora (R-86), the Deputy Republican Leader, stood in support of the proposal on the House floor as an amendment to a municipal campaign bill. The measure, Candelora reasoned, would restore the integrity of our publicly-funded election system. The state House of Representatives approved the legislation in a vote of 134-12. It now goes to the state Senate. “The money this state spends on elections is absurd,” Rep. Candelora said. “Our proposal drastically improves campaign finance laws that are currently in place. This is a good bill and I hope that leadership in the Senate will see to its passage.” The GOP’s proposal would reform Connecticut’s public financing system by cutting the size of candidates' taxpayer-funded grants and by limiting wealthy donors' ability to funnel money into campaigns. “I hope the Democratic controlled Senate will approve this bill. It’s time that we restore the integrity of Connecticut campaigns, but more importantly, restore the trust of voters,” Rep. Candelora added.