AP - Republican lawmaker says he was wrong about increase in donation limit

(Ohio Democratic Party)

Lawmaker says he was wrong about increase in donation limit

2/4/2006, 4:53 p.m. ET The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A Republican state senator who helped shepherd a bill that quadrupled the amount Ohio candidates could accept from donors says he was wrong about the change, which he believes has created an elite class of donors.

"I think I took it too far," said Sen. Jeff Jacobson, of suburban Dayton.

He made the comments last week after campaign finance reports showed the Democrats' likely nominee for the governor's race, U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, has collected the most $10,000 donations since the limit increase. The Democrats opposed allowing the larger contributions.

"I was wrong and perhaps the Democrats right about $10,000," said Jacobson, the GOP-controlled Senate's second-in-command.

He helped get individual contribution limits increased from $2,500 to $10,000 in 2004 as part of an overhaul of Ohio's campaign finance laws.

Because only a small number of donors have given the $10,000 maximum, the change has created a group that could have disproportionate influence, Jacobson said.

"I thought $10,000 was low enough that more people would get to it, and it would become the default number like $2,500 was," he said.

About 300 donors gave the maximum in 2005. Most of those who typically gave the previous $2,500 limit stayed there or increased slightly.

Reports filed Tuesday showed Strickland received 86 contributions of $10,000 in 2005. That compares to 63 for Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell and 19 for Attorney General Jim Petro, Republican candidates in the governor's race.

Strickland said Jacobson's comments were puzzling.

"It's hard for me to accept ... that after a couple reporting periods when a Democratic candidate for governor seems to be doing pretty well under the system he worked so hard to put in place, that he would suddenly have a change of heart," Strickland said.

When Republicans argued for the change, they said the increase would allow candidates to continue raising the same amount of money without resorting to maneuvers such as passing donations through county political parties.

Democrats said Republicans were trying to increase their already sizable fundraising advantage.

When asked Friday if the limit should be dropped, Ohio Democratic Party spokesman Brian Rothenberg said, "We are trying to abide by the rules that they created."

Ohio Sen. Randy Gardner, a Bowling Green Republican who opposed increasing the limit, said leaders should consider introducing a bill to reduce it.

"Maybe it's time we check with other House and Senate members to see if there is additional support for reconsideration," Gardner said.

But state Rep. Kevin DeWine, a Dayton-area Republican, says the new law hasn't even gone through a full election cycle yet, so it's too early to discuss changing it.