National advocates for tighter campaign finance laws are expressing cautious optimism that, if elected, Vice President Kamala Harris will make the issue a top priority, even as “dark money” groups spend millions boosting her campaign.
But, winning the White House won’t be enough. To get a shot at enacting even modest campaign finance and disclosure changes, Democrats will also need to sweep control of both chambers in November, according to leaders at watchdog groups that track the influence of money in federal elections.
“Without control of the White House and majorities in both chambers of Congress, many congressional Democrats see campaign finance reform as a major uphill battle,” Michael Beckel, the senior research director at Issue One, a bipartisan political reform nonprofit, said. Until then, he added, “many political operatives are all too happy to fight fire with fire.”
