GOP lawmaker wants to limit personal fundraising

Florida Republican Senate candidate Rep. David Jolly took to the House floor on Wednesday to lament the pressures lawmakers face to raise money for reelection.

The second-term lawmaker has introduced legislation that would prohibit members of Congress from personally soliciting campaign donations, though they could still attend fundraisers and speak to donors. 

Jolly said that fellow lawmakers are reluctant to speak openly about how much they dislike pouring effort into what’s known as “dialing for dollars” or “call time” over legislative work.

{mosads}“There is a quiet anger among many members about that. It is not comfortable to talk about, frankly,” Jolly said.

“This is one of the more uncomfortable speeches I will ever give in the well of this House,” he added.

Jolly is in a four-way GOP primary slated for late August for the seat being vacated by presidential contender Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Wealthy developer Carlos Beruff is expected to become the fifth candidate in the race next week, according to local reports. 

Jolly has said he will adhere to his own proposal while running for Senate in one of the most expensive media markets in the nation. Instead, he has said he will delegate fundraising duties to his staff. 

Multiple lawmakers have opened up after retirement about the amount of time they spend fundraising. Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), the former chairman of House Democrats’ campaign arm, wrote an op-ed for The New York Times last month just days after announcing his plans to not seek reelection.

“My new ‘call time’ will be spent waiting for a customer service agent to help me decipher a cable bill. Even that will be more pleasant,” Israel wrote, estimating that he’d spent 4,200 hours asking donors for money over his tenure.

Jolly called on fellow lawmakers to co-sponsor his bill instead of merely complaining about fundraising duties after they leave Congress.

“Why don’t we do something about it as sitting members of Congress?” Jolly asked.

He posited that preventing incumbent lawmakers from spending as much time fundraising would free them up for legislative work in committees and votes on the floor.

“We are not well and faithfully discharging the duties of this office when fundraising is the main business, when we have members missing votes to raise money, when the most important question sometimes among colleagues is not what legislation are you working on but how much money have you raised,” he said.

“I stand here not to judge my colleagues. I stand here to try to change the system. Let’s restore credibility to this House.”

Jolly’s bill has six co-sponsors so far, including one Democrat.