Poll: Americans back campaign-finance overhaul

Americans of both political parties oppose the unlimited money flowing into U.S. elections, and the vast majority support overhauling the way political campaigns are funded, a New York Times/CBS News poll out Tuesday finds.

Eighty-four percent of Americans say money has too much influence in politics, and 85% of those surveyed said the campaign-finance system should be either completely rebuilt or fundamentally changed.

The Times touted the poll as offering the most detailed look at public attitudes on campaign finance since the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision that opened the door to unlimited corporate and union spending in candidate elections. The survey comes as the 2016 White House campaign gains speed, and candidates’ allies form an array of super PACs and non-profit groups to raise unlimited amounts to advance their presidential ambitions.

The polling found broad support for changes among Republicans — in sharp contrast to positions espoused by some of the party’s leaders on Capitol Hill as the Times' Nicholas Confessore and Megan Thee-Brenan note here:

Three-quarters of self-identified Republicans support requiring more disclosure by outside spending organizations, for example, but Republican leaders in Congress have blocked legislation to require more disclosure by political nonprofit groups, which do not reveal the names of their donors.

Republicans in the poll were almost as likely as Democrats to favor further restrictions on campaign donations, even as some prominent Republicans call for legislation to eliminate existing caps on contributions.

The telephone poll of 1,022 adults was conducted May 28-31 and has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.