Usually, the problems of wealthy constituents are the most frequently heard by Congressman as these lawmakers have to reach out to wealthy donors for money, and in that act will inevitably hear the wealthy donors grievances. One Congressman fighting this trend is Representative John Sarbanes, a Democrat from Maryland. Representative Sarbanes has started a grassroots movement in his district. Rep. Sarbanes district is safely democratic so he has the ability to experiment with different approaches to how he raises money. His personal goals were set after the 2012 election when he set aside $500,000 in surplus to use on his 2014 election only if he raises contributions of $100 or less from 1000 donors that have not previously donated. In this way, the Representative has incentives to reach out to previously ignored constituents, and hear different perspectives on how to improve his district. Please watch Rep. Sarbanes TEDx speech below.
Sources:
[1] “Sarbanes Reaches Goal of 1,000 Grassroots Donors, Unlocks $500,000 Challenge Fund.” Johnsarbanes.com. 9 July 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.johnsarbanes.com/media/press/sarbanes-reaches-goal-1000-grassroots-donors-unlocks-500000-challenge-fund>.
Campaign Finance Reform 