Many people are surprised at how well these new contribution levels have worked and at the new faces we're seeing run for office. You don't hear reports of traditional candidates having trouble raising money under the new limits. Candidates are instead finding that they have to broaden their base of support and reach out to individual donors instead of PACs. Precisely the sort of change that organizers had hoped to encourage. It will take several election cycles to determine whether clean candidates can keep the Clean Election Fund running smoothly.
Supporters caution against drawing too many conclusions from the results of one election.
Clean candidates must learn to operate as successful legislators once they're elected. Cummings, who has leadership aspirations, hopes that the ability to mobilize grass-roots supporters and help others get elected clean will one day replace fundraising as the necessary qualification for party leadership. To date, it hasn't. But the resonance publicly funded campaigns has among candidates and voters is already transforming Maine's political landscape. Under this system, doing so means returning to a more representative style of politics.