Princeton Mayor to Limit Campaign Contributions for Re-Election Campaign

Princeton, NJ -- Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert will voluntarily cap campaign contributions in her 2016 re-election campaign to $300 per person and $600 per couple, her campaign announced this week.

The limit set by the State of New Jersey is $2,600 per person and $5,200 per couple.

She also said she will be rolling over less than $3,000 from her 2012 campaign account.

In July 2014, the Princeton Council was the first municipal governing body in the nation to pass a resolution in support of stringent, federal anti-corruption legislation that would revamp the way elections in the U.S. are financed.

The resolution was brought to Princeton Council’s attention by the local chapter of RepresentUs, a group advocating for nationwide campaign finance reform.

Because the state regulates campaign donations for all elections except for those at a national level, municipal governments cannot further restrict contribution limits for local candidates.

The mayor said that running her campaign with a voluntary cap on donations “is the next best thing.”

“I want to run a campaign that reflects true democratic principles, with a small ‘d,’” Lempert said. “I would prefer to receive smaller donations from many people of all walks of life rather than large donations from just a handful.”

At this point, Lempert is the only person who has officially announced her intent to run for mayor, although Democratic Councilman Patrick Simon said he may run for mayor.