To prevent influence-peddling, Arizona voters in 1986 capped the amount anyone can give to political candidates in one calendar year. In each contribution, DeMenna lists his occupation as a lobbyist or political consultant. But DeMenna said all his contributions are given jointly with his wife. We're very careful that we don't exceed the amount. Both questioned whether they might have given money to candidates in late 1999 that was reported by campaigns in early 2000.
People say that the real abuse of power comes at the national level.
But make no mistake. You're at the whim of who's writing it down. But Secretary of State Jessica Funkhouser said her office offers training to campaign treasurers to stress accuracy in identifying contributors and complying with state statutes. And the state's campaign handbook says that for checks drawn on joint accounts, donors must provide written instructions on how much came from each party and it must be reported as two separate transactions. Lobbyists have a responsibility to notify campaigns that donations are given jointly and campaigns have a responsibility to accurately report.