The Huffington Post: on Government Reform

Alan Khazei: Refuses PAC money and lobbyist campaign donations

And that is why Alan is the only candidate in the race refusing to take PAC and lobbyist money. Alan only wishes to be beholden to the people and their interests.

Andrea Zopp: Voter ID laws are intended to limit the Black vote

Let's start with our history. Prior to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, African Americans across the country, but particularly in the South, were systematically prevented from exercising their right to vote. My own grandfather who lived in Mississippi was told that in order to vote he had to recite the Bill of Rights to the Constitution from memory.

History repeats itself. We entered this election season with voter ID and other types of voter suppression laws in 17 states that could deprive an estimated 700,000 young people of color the right to vote. Across the country, but particularly in critical swing states like Florida, Virginia and Ohio, efforts are underway to limit the Black vote.

If Black votes mean nothing, if African Americans have no political power, no ability to influence or effect government, why are people so intent on preventing us from voting?

Barack Obama: Ok to take $5 donations from drug company employees

A: I don’t accept money from federal registered lobbyists and from federal PACs. Now, I’m sure that we’ve received money from people who work at insurance companies or work at drug companies, because we’re getting contributions of $5, $10, $100 from all sorts of people. We don’t want to finance our campaign by people whose professional job it is to influence legislation in Washington. The drug companies, the insurance companies spent a billion dollars over the last 10 years blocking reform. That’s how we ended up with a prescription drug bill that is better for drug companies than it is for our seniors. So it is an imperfect system. Money is the original sin of politics, & when you’re running for president, you’re going to do some sinning when it comes to raising money because otherwise you can’t compete. But it’s less important what your health-care plan is, than are you able to overcome the special-interest-driven agendas?

Cynthia Nixon: The 'Cynthia Effect': Cuomo now for restoring voting rights

"It's called the 'Cynthia Effect'... Before this campaign is over, he'll be getting arrested, protesting his own administration," she quipped.

Gary Johnson: Senate should consider Obama's Supreme Court nominee

However, it's clear that if Johnson hopes to offer himself as a serious alternative to the Democratic and Republican nominees, he'll have to polish his presentation a bit. During a discussion about the late Antonin Scalia's Supreme Court seat, Johnson-- who believes the Senate should consider President Barack Obama's nominee--conceded he couldn't name the remaining eight sitting Supreme Court justices.

John Kasich: A handful of billionaires should not decide who is president

[After that] the closest he came to broaching the subject of campaign finance reform was when he declared that "sometimes I think these laws can work, but unfortunately I think they work mostly on the margin." Got it? Neither do we.

Kasich took a different tack last month when he said that "a handful of billionaires should not decide who is president." But, even then, he was unsure of a solution to the problem.

Kasich has an unlimited-money super PAC. Earlier this year, it announced raising more than $11 million from 166 reportable contributions.

Lisa Murkowski: Scrutinize states with a history of voting discrimination

But such a fix has stalled in the Senate, as the chamber's Republican leadership has resisted any calls to restore the legislation. Murkowski's support is also surprising because she said in 2013 that she didn't sense much of a motivation to restore the VRA in Congress.

Lisa Murkowski: Opportunity to vote, regardless of where people live

The bill that Murkowski has signed on to would increase the number of polling sites on tribal reservations, since Alaska Natives and Native Americans are often forced to travel long distances to vote in person. The Department of Justice came out in favor of a similar proposal earlier this year.

Murkowski explained, "The Voting Rights Act of 1965 brought an end to the ugly Jim Crow period in American history. Every American [should] be given the opportunity to vote, regardless of who they are, where they live, and what their race or national origin may be," she said.

Mike Gravel: Americans are getting fatter & dumber; must get empowered!

A: Well, first off, I am prepared to tell you that Americans are getting fatter and dumber. I have no problem saying that. I've also said that the Americans are going to get the government they deserve. And so, if things are going bad, just remember who put these people in power. What I'm trying to say to you Americans, and that is you have to become empowered. You're too busy trusting your leaders, thinking they're going to do the job for you. They've proven they cannot do the job, whether it's war, whether it's education, whether it's health care. Please go to NationalInitiative.us and vote to empower yourself. Because that is the only answer. Representative government and our government is broken.

Newt Gingrich: Allow unlimited campaign contributions to anybody

Gingrich added, "The next step is the one Justice Clarence Thomas cited--candidates should be allowed to take unlimited amounts of money from anybody. And you would, overnight, equalize the middle class and the rich."

Shelley Berkley: Free Nevada: No out-of-state donations for Senate race

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee took the response as enough encouragement to offer a bit of a sweetener: it pledged to keep its considerable resources out of the Silver State if Heller agrees to the deal. But the National Republican Senatorial Committee saw only hypocrisy. While both sides are at least expressing an interest in limiting outside cash, such money played a large role in Nevada's 2010 Senate contest. Frontrunner Pete Hoekstra faced a battery of criticisms during a Republican Senate debate, over racism accusations for a Super Bowl advertisement. The ad featured a bike-riding Chinese woman thanking incumbent Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow (called Spend-it-now in the promo) in broken English for helping support deficit spending that is aiding the Chinese economy. The ad received national criticism from both sides of the aisle.

Former Michigan State Board of Education member

Terri Lynn Land: Super PACs are committed to Michigan

Created in the wake of the landmark Citizens United Supreme Court ruling, super PACs can raise unlimited funds from corporations, unions, associations and individuals to advocate for or against candidates, but money must be spent on independent political activity.

"The Citizens United lawsuit actually started here in Michigan," Land said. "And that changed the dynamics of politics, restricted the parties, but it let individuals and others raise resources to do that. Our campaign has talked to a lot of those folks," she added. "They're committed to Michigan. They really want to support us here in Michigan. And if we can do this in Michigan, that means they win in the other states."

Tom Tancredo: 2001: pledged 3-term limit; 2002: served 4th & 5th term

On September 26, 2002 he told the same newspaper he'd spoken with 15 months earlier that the Lord had intervened to absolve him of his pledge. He said that his actions could be characterized as breaking a pledge, but he explained that whether he would run for a fourth term was going to be decided by God and that by putting it in God's hands he hoped he was doing what God wanted. It took the Lord less than eight months to decide what Tom should do. In April 2002, he (Tom--not the Lord) announced that he was no longer bound by his pledge to serve no more than three terms and he went on to serve a total of five terms.