Breslin campaign coffers well-insured [Times Union, Albany, N.Y.]
By Dayelin Roman, Times Union, Albany, N.Y. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Trying to win an eighth term in office, the
The Cohoes firefighter wastes no time taking jabs at the senator for taking money from an industry he's in charge of regulating as the ranking Democrat of the
"If I was a state senator, I would not be breaking bread with those people," Morse said. "If I was in the position where I was chairing the industry, I would not take money from the industry I was chairing. It's an inherent conflict of interest."
But Breslin, the
"It's understandable you'd get it in an area you are skilled in," Breslin said. "For my 16 years, every year I've advocated for a system that does away with contributions."
Breslin said he is in favor of publicly funded campaigns and campaign finance reform, but wouldn't go as far as to say he'd set an example with his own campaign.
"To set an example, what you're doing is you'd have an unlevel playing field," he said. "You would have candidates cold calling (for contributions)."
While the campaign contribution system continues to function in the way that it does, he said, he'll take the insurance cash.
"There is nothing immoral or illegal from taking those contributions and they don't change what I do," he said. "If you look at other people, they're receiving a lot more money than I am."
But among Senate Democrats, Breslin received more insurance contributions than anyone else in the first seven months of the year. In that time, Breslin took in
"I just don't see how you can possibly find that to be ethically correct," Morse said. "People do not give you money if you're not willing to help them with what they want."
Morse, who has taken 40 percent of his campaign contributions from the breakaway senate group the
"I would make it very clear that I would not accept any donations from any committee which I have any oversight," he said.
Morse said Breslin's insurance donations demonstrate his loyalty to that industry, and pointed to a 2010 law under which Breslin said insurance companies would have to get prior approval to raise rates but the approval only applied when they were raising rates for small businesses or individual policies.
"How do you tell people you're working with insurance companies when they're writing legislation, putting it through and then you get caught because you don't know what you're voting for," Morse said.
But Breslin said the donations don't change the fact that he fights for constituents in the insurance committees.
"Those insurance companies know that
Breslin touted an autism law he helped pass mandating insurance companies cover the illness more comprehensively at an earlier age, legislation where higher portions of health insurance premiums pay for actual health care and a life insurance law he said reformed the industry.
"I think my record speaks for itself," he said. "Constituents first and the insurance industry second."
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