FEC drafts campaign solicition opinion (in response to a request for FEC advice from Obama)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 2/22/07 | Jim Kuhnhenn - ap

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WASHINGTON - Presidential candidates may solicit contributions for a general election campaign even if they later decide to take public money for the race, federal regulators said Thursday in a proposed opinion.

The draft document, which would have to be approved by the Federal Election Commission, was in response to a request for FEC advice from Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record), the Illinois senator.

If a majority of the six election commissioners support the opinion, candidates would have yet another incentive to seek double contributions this early in the presidential election cycle. Any candidate who then chooses to accept public money would have to refund money raised exclusively for the general election.

The commission will meet March 1.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., have already said they will forego public financing in both the primary and general election campaigns. As a result, both are soliciting maximum contributions of $4,600 from individual donors, twice the $2,300 permitted for each election.

Under federal law, taxpayers can redirect $3 of their income tax payment to the presidential campaign fund. Candidates who accept public financing in the primaries can still accept political contributions, but must agree to certain spending limits. Primary winners who accept public financing in the general election cannot use political donations to finance their campaigns.

This year, the primary winners would be entitled to about $85 million each. But campaign finance experts and advisers to presidential candidates predict that the 2008 general election campaign will be far longer and much more expensive than previous ones. Some predict the total cost to each nominee will be $500 million. That is why some candidates would prefer to turn down the public funds and raise their own, more substantial sums.

Campaign watchdog groups, however, have lamented the trend as signaling the demise of the public financing system, which attempted to reduce the influence of money in politics.

Under federal law, any candidate who raises money during the primary for the general election must refund donors if he or she loses the primary. Obama, in seeking an opinion from the FEC, offered a twist on that financial consideration that left the door open to staying within the public system.

"We're pleased this draft opinion moves the ball forward in the direction of preserving public financing of campaigns this election," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said.

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Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) speaks to supporters during a rally in Los Angeles, February 20, 2007. (Phil McCarten/Reuters)

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Hang with me, Kid and we can do great things.

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) greets supporters during a rally in Des Moines, Iowa February 21, 2007. REUTERS/Joshua Lott (UNITED STATES)