Restore Local Politics: Tie Campaign Donations to Voter Registration

RealClear Politics ^ | October 29, 2025 | Lindsay Mark Lewis

[E. Pluribus Unum]

American politics is broken, but not in the way most people think. The problem isn't just the money – it's where the money comes from.

Since Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America" in 1994, we've watched congressional races transform from local contests into nationalized referendums. Every House and Senate race has become a proxy war for party control, with millions of dollars flooding across state lines to tip the balance in competitive districts. A senator from Montana doesn't answer primarily to Montanans anymore – they answer to donors in New York, California, and Texas who will fund their next campaign or their next primary challenger.

This nationalization has produced exactly the dysfunctional Congress we deserve. Members have little incentive to break with party leadership, even when it would serve their constituents. Compromise becomes politically toxic when your next primary opponent will be funded by ideological purists from across the country. The old ethic of "bringing home the bacon" for your district has given way to performing for national audiences and donor networks that will never cast a vote in your election.

The problem extends beyond Congress. Elon Musk can pour over $100 million into Wisconsin Supreme Court races despite living in Texas. George Soros can fund district attorney campaigns across the country from his New York base. These aren't Wisconsinites or locals deciding who prosecutes crimes in their communities – they're billionaires treating state and local elections like pieces on a national chess board. The citizens of these states become extras in someone else's political drama.

The Founders designed a federal system where states retained significant power, and local accountability mattered. Our current campaign finance system has effectively abolished that design. When a Senate race in Ohio or Pennsylvania can attract $200 million from out-of-state sources, we're no longer practicing...

[E. Pluribus Unum]

BURIED LEDE: "Here's a reform that would change everything: You can only donate to candidates and political organizations in the state where you are registered to vote."

[blackdog]

April 15th = Tax filing day. If they ain’t on the return, there is no vote.

[T.B. Yoits]

You can only donate to candidates and political organizations in the state where you are registered to vote.

Absolutely not. Those of us behind the lines in blue states know our donations to red state candidates, and voting for Uniparty RINOs is what got us in this mess in the first place.

[Bob Wills is still the king]

“BURIED LEDE: “Here’s a reform that would change everything: You can only donate to candidates and political organizations in the state where you are registered to vote.”
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This would also gut Citizen’s United, since organizations don’t vote.