By Marshall Griffin, St. Louis Public Radio
Jefferson City, Mo. – A veteran Missouri Senator says the state's campaign finance system favors white male politicians and discriminates against women and minorities.
Joan Bray (D, St. Louis) made the statement Tuesday during a committee hearing on an ethics reform bill.
"And I will continue to advocate for the folks that it absolutely discriminates against, and that's women and people of color...(they) lose out under that system, and I want to get the system under control for everybody on an equal footing," Bray said.
Bray also said the way to do that is to bring back campaign contribution limits, which were eliminated two years ago in a bill signed by former Governor Matt Blunt (R).
State Senator Gary Nodler (R, Joplin) responded by saying that more than half the wealth in the United States is controlled by women, and that women live longer.
Bray shot back that the average woman still earns 77 cents on the dollar, compared to the average man.