Center for Responsive Politics: No Financial Disclosures for 116 Candidates in June 5 Primaries

Date
Expert

More than a third of the candidates running in Tuesday’s primaries do not have financial disclosures publicly available, denying voters insight into the candidates’ potential debts and conflicts of interest ahead of the election.

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For voters, journalists and watchdog groups are typically the conduits in which financial disclosures are scrutinized and shared, said Adav Noti with the Campaign Legal Center.

“(The reports) are significant for assessing potential conflicts,” Noti said. “It allows a voter to assess whether candidates are taking positions that are in the voters’ interest or in the candidate’s interest.”

Say a candidate is championing tax cuts for an industry. A disclosure would show whether the person owns stake in a company in line to benefit. Whether it matters to a voter is another thing.

“That’s a decision voters have to make,” Noti said, “but the law is that the information gets out there, and people can choose what they do with it.

“It’s up to the public and their constituents to decide.”

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