Area state legislators criticize U.S. Supreme Court ruling on campaign financing

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that corporations are just like individuals and have the right to free speech in elections. The court says that means corporations should be allowed to make whatever contributions they wish to political campaigns.

State Representative John Beard of Decorah and State Senator Mary Jo Wilhelm of Cresco both say the court ruling is a bad one. Wilhelm says Iowa Democratic Party officials have sent messages to all Democratic candidates, urging them to turn down corporate donations. Wilhelm also says a number of Democratic lawmakers have asked Charlie Smithson from the Iowa Attorney General's Office to study whether the Iowa legislature can pass a law that limits the scope of the court ruling.

Beard says "The effect of this ruling is really going to be damaging." Beard says allowing corporations to finance political campaigns "is a terribly corrosive thing."