Two senators win JFK Award

Associated Press, April 23, 1999

Two senators who crossed party lines to propose campaign finance reform legislation yesterday were named as winners of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.

Senators John McCain, an Arizona Republican, and Russell Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, were recognized for addressing fund-raising excesses and for trying to regulate the flow of special interest money to campaigns. The McCain-Feingold bill was ultimately defeated last year because it failed to gain the 60 votes needed to overcome an opposition filibuster.

"In a time when politics and government have been marked by incivility and partisanship, these senators distinguished themselves by their political courage and by their vision of what was right for the country," said Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, president of the JFK Library Foundation and the daughter of John F. Kennedy.

The award, which comes with a $25,000 stipend, is presented to elected officials who fight for their beliefs despite opposition from constituents, interest groups, or adversaries.

It is named for Kennedy's 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "Profiles in Courage," about eight senators who risked their careers to fight for their beliefs.

This is the 10th Profile in Courage Award and the first to be shared by two elected American politicians.

McCain, one of the most vocal supporters of campaign finance reform, first approached Feingold in 1994 and asked him to join in drafting legislation to limit the influence of private money in politics, thereby leveling the political playing field between political incumbents and challengers.

McCain is considered a possible candidate for the presidency.

Their bill would have banned unregulated so-called soft money that flows freely to political parties from corporations, labor unions, and individual donors.

McCain's campaign for finance reform put him in conflict with his party's leadership, particularly Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott.

Feingold nearly lost reelection because of his stance. Even after the legislation failed, he refused to take soft money during his 1998 reelection bid. He narrowly won over his conservative opponent, Representative Mark Neumann.

The two senators introduced another campaign finance act in January.

The award will be presented May 24 at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.