Republican candidate Eddie Andrews says if he’s elected governor, he’ll press for campaign finance reform to get the stain of money out of politics.
“It’s not who has the best ideas,” Andrews said late this morning. “All the experts, all the smart people say: ‘Well, how much money have you raised?’ And that’s a disgusting commentary on our state of politics.”
Andrews said the issue has been a priority for him since he was first elected to the Iowa House in 2020. “My very first bill…I put limits on Iowa contributors…and then I suggested a $1 limit for out-of-state contributions and people were like, ‘Well, that’s way too low,’ and I said: ‘Make the case that someone from out of state should have an impact on Iowa politics,” Andrews said of the bill which stalled in the 2021 Iowa legislative session.
Andrews is among a field of GOP candidates that includes Congressman Randy Feenstra, who’s been raising money for his race since May. When Andrews launched his own campaign in June, he told a crowd gathered outside the statehouse that he wanted his campaign to be a mandate on money. “When I become governor, we will make a number of inroads on removing the stain of money on Iowa politics,” Andrews said today during an interview.
The influence of money in politics here is “not nearly as bad” as it is at the national level, according to Andrews, but Andrews said he’s seen how money “can affect votes” in the state legislature. “I have seen how money can invite corruption and it’s disgusting, quite honestly,” Andrews said.
Andrews made his comments during taping of the “Iowa Press” program that airs tonight on Iowa PBS.