Democratic House candidates haggle over outside cash ban agreement in Illinois

Two Democrats hoping to face Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), are working on a proposed cease-fire on outside group spending.

Tammy Duckworth and Raja Krishnamoorthi both said Monday evening that they hope to reach an agreement banning super-PAC spending in their race. "Unlimited contributions undermine the American principle of 'one person, one vote,'" Duckworth said in a statement. "And the secretive nature of Super PACs means voters can't know who's behind an attack ad. That's not acceptable — the only money that should be spent in the 8th District is money that is fully disclosed before the election under federal election laws."

Raja Krishnamoorthi's campaign went a step farther in its response, offering a ban on all donations from political action committees, unions, lobbyists and corporations. Both versions of the agreement would force the campaigns to pay major penalties if it is violated.

"The core problem with our campaign finance system is that there is simply too much money from special interests and corporations," Krishnamoorthi said in response. "I detest Super-PACs, but Super-PACs are just the same old D.C. special interests on steroids. I propose we remove the influence of special interests and corporations completely from this election."

Their calls come after Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and Democrat Elizabeth Warren reached a similar agreement, which Duckworth's campaign says they used as a model. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) have been arguing over the details of an agreement that would do the same in their race.