Former U.S. Senator and U.S. Secretary of State Ed Muskie, who had a home in Kennebunk for most of his adult life, liked to be introduced as “of Maine,” born and bred of Maine’s virtues, of the Maine brand. Mainers are independent thinkers, and we have often led by example, consistent with our state motto “Dirigo.” Combine that independence and innovation with political access that is simply not available in many other states, and you have citizens who, if they decide to become active, have real opportunity to rise in influence.

Chris Babbidge Courtesy photo

Maine led the nation by instituting clean elections, and, in retrospect, to paraphrase Wordsworth, it has made all the difference to me.

As we all enter this election year of 2022, for the first time as a sitting legislator, I am not organizing a campaign, getting petition signatures, arranging introductory events, and gathering qualifying contributions like I have done with success seven times before. This being my fourth consecutive elected term, I am term-limited, so my service to Kennebunk as a member of the House comes to an end this December. What helped make this rewarding journey possible for me is that I never had to go to powerful interests with hat in hand asking for the lifeblood of politics: money.

Maine was first in the country, through the Maine Clean Election Act citizen initiative in 1996, to introduce its clean-election system of public financing. At the time, I thought it was an important innovation, although I remember rejecting the shaming by some of many good people among our elected officials who, until that time, had adhered to the existing rules, now suddenly deemed “unclean.”

When my life evolved so that I considered participating at a new level, the option of public financing became an important ethical option for me. I could have raised the necessary money privately, but I am naturally uncomfortable with self-serving solicitation – not good for a candidate. I was a social studies teacher, constantly challenging students with the ethical decisions of history and the obligation of active citizenship, and now that I was about to walk-the-walk in 2004, the clean election qualifying process was there for me.

Public financing of elections has provided me with the independence to speak and vote without concern for personal financial consequence in the next election. I have been able to follow my conscience, confer with lobbyists only as resources for information, and speak and vote, in committee and on the floor, in a way that reflects my own assessment of right and wrong as an informed legislator. Accountability comes with both press and interest group coverage, and hopefully examination of my actual record, all to be evaluated by voters who express their will at the next election, less than two years away.

The clean election process has not solved the potentially unhealthy influence of money in elections nationally, or even in Maine. Because the idea of clean elections is to provide a means of allowing a candidate to introduce him/herself and get his/her message out without being beholden to certain financial donors, it also forces a candidate to agree to a cap in spending.

A state source informed me that, in the last election, the state average in House races provided to publicly financed candidates, qualifying through recruitment of in-district $5 contributions, is likely between $8,000 to $9,000. Once qualified, the allocated minimum for a contested general election is currently $5,475, with a path to qualify for more up to an additional $11,000.

If one’s opponent chooses not to run “clean,” that opponent has no spending cap. The goal of winning public office is to be at the table to implement policy consistent with one’s values, but that success depends on whether you have a majority of like-minded people in Augusta after the election. That prompts some good people to determine that, if they want to be competitive, they must run a traditional privately-financed campaign, especially in targeted House races, or larger district races like state senate and governor. The last publicly-financed major party candidate to run for governor was the Hon. Libby Mitchell in 2010.

Within the rules, leadership PACs can be formed to solicit and later distribute funds to other privately-financed candidates. The political parties can also spend independent expenditures to support or oppose a candidate as long as it is not coordinated with the specific campaign. And given the consequences of Citizen’s United and the emergence of dark money protected under the guise of free speech, powerful well-financed private interests can insert themselves into elections without public knowledge of the original source of donations. Citizens must continue to demand transparency.

However, clean elections have been a success in Maine. After clean election support was increased as approved by the people in 2015, running a publicly-financed campaign remains a viable option.

A certain amount of community outreach is required to get the qualifying $5 checks, all of which must be reported. In 2020, when COVID-19 attacked during this process, and public events that facilitated the collection process were canceled, about 45 candidates abandoned the clean election route. Of the 346 general election candidates, 154 were traditionally financed and 55.5 percent used the MCEA.

For me, running clean meant that my investigation of facts prior to a legislative decision was less likely to be complicated, consciously or unconsciously, by pre-formed relationships with interest groups, whether they be, historically to me, allies or opponents.

But independence, by itself, is not a virtue. One independent candidate, critical of party membership, once said in a debate, “I listen to no one. I’m my own man.” I approached him after the debate and suggested he had it wrong. My advice was to not to ignore alternative points of view, but to listen to everyone, sort out the facts, and then have the integrity to make the difficult decision. It’s not foolproof, but clean elections help that to happen.

We have reason to be proud of Maine government. I know my own committee, Judiciary, has well-intentioned people working very hard on very consequential issues including child protection, juvenile criminal justice, personal privacy, and human rights protections, all with long-term consequences to Mainers’ lives, and that is just the 16 bills on our agenda so far for this week. During my service, although burdened with the pressure of responsibility, I have been free of additional pressures, direct or indirect, thanks to public financing. Allowing me to serve this state for six terms without the usual solicitations of money has been a blessing, and I am grateful. More importantly, I believe it’s good for Maine.

Christopher W. Babbidge is representative for Maine House District 8, Kennebunk. He can be reached at Chris.Babbidge@legislature.maine.gov.