[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 37 (Friday, March 27, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1687]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          ORDINARY CITIZENS NEED A FAIR CHANCE TO GET ELECTED

  (Mr. ABERCROMBIE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I was first elected to the State house 
of representatives in the State of Hawaii in 1974, when we had campaign 
expenditure limitations. I found myself in a contest with very wealthy 
people and a high-ranking bank official; I had to depend upon the 
goodwill of many of the young people who supported me. We did grass-
roots efforts.
  I would like to have the opportunity for any citizen to be able to 
run for office, as I did, and have an opportunity to be elected. That 
is why it is so important for us to take up these various forms of 
campaign finance reform. I do not pretend to have the final answer, and 
I do not think that the final answer necessarily exists in all of these 
bills, but surely we deserve the opportunity to vote on it.
  In this particular instance where campaign finance reform is 
concerned, we have seen over and over again the press saying that the 
Congress failed to do it, or the House failed to do it. In this 
instance, I hope it will be noted by the public and by the press that 
takes this information to the public that it is Mr. Gingrich and the 
Republican leadership which is thwarting the opportunity for us to be 
able to vote on campaign finance reform.
  Please give us that opportunity. Let the ordinary, average citizen 
have a chance again in this democracy.

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