It is fair to say that my position on campaign finance reform has not made me popular in the Statehouse, but I have heard from a number of constituents (and other Vermonters) who agree with me.
To her credit, my colleague, Sen. Jeanette White, has been consistent in her opposition to banning corporate campaign contributions. However, I don't think her arguments hold water.
The proposed ban does not affect the ability of small Vermont businesses to make contributions. All business owners would need to do is make an owners' draw from the business and then write a check from their personal account.
The problem is the large corporations that make donations from their corporate treasuries. These companies almost always support incumbents, and they constituted some 30 percent of the contributions to Gov. Peter Shumlin's re-election campaign in 2012 and as much as 90 percent of the contributions to some Senate candidates.