Washington, D.C. – Campaign Money Watch, a nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog group, today criticized Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) vice presidential running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK), for touting herself as a reformer even though, as recently reported news stories show, she’s beholden to some of the same special interests that prop up the broken system in Washington and has no interest in comprehensive reform.

“John McCain says Sarah Palin is a ‘soulmate’ who will help reform Washington,” said David Donnelly, director of Campaign Money Watch. “After a careful examination of the news stories in the past few days, the evidence is mounting that Gov. Palin has a record of scandals, lobbyist-derived pork barrel projects, and pay-to-play politics. She is not a ‘maverick reformer’ by any stretch.”

As Palin’s record has been exposed, there have been more and more signs that Palin isn’t the maverick reformer she and Sen. McCain claims she is. Recent news reports have found that:

• Palin received $4,500 in campaign contributions from VECO Corp., the same oil services company at the center of the wide-ranging scandal involving several Alaskan elected officials, including indicted Sen. Ted Stevens. (The Associated Press, “Campaign Money Hurts Palin’s Outsider Image,” 9/3/08)

• Palin was director of an independent “527” political group named after, and supported by, Stevens. (Washingtonpost.com, “Palin Was Director of Embattled Sen. Stevens’ 527 Group,” 9/1/08)

• Sen. Stevens worked with Gov. Palin to help Alaska request almost $300 per person in federal spending for pet projects. (AP, 9/3/08)

• Palin reportedly fired the local police chief in Wasilla after he angered some of her political donors. (ABCNews.com, “Another Controversy For Sarah Palin,” 9/3/08)

• Palin hired a lobbying firm to win her town $27 million in federal earmarks. (Washington Post, “Palin’s Small Alaska Town Secured Big Federal Funds,” 9/2/08)

• The lobbyist Palin hired was Steven Silver, a former chief of staff to Stevens. From 2002 to 2004, one of Silver's clients was Greenberg Traurig, Jack Abramoff's lobbying firm. Silver handled the same issue portfolio as did Abramoff. (The Washington Post, 9/2/08; TalkingPointsMemo.com, “Palin's Lobbyist Has Abramoff Ties," 9/2/08)

• Palin’s earmarks were opposed by Sen. McCain on at least three occasions in recent years (Los Angeles Times, “McCain had criticized earmarks from Palin,” 9/3/08)

• Palin backed away from supporting one of the most derided pork barrel projects of all time – the Bridge to Nowhere – only when public uproar grew too loud. (Source: Reuters, “Palin ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ Line Angers Many Alaskans,” 9/1/08)

• Palin is attempting to stall or prevent a State Legislative investigation into her firing of the state’s Public Safety Commissioner when he refused to fire Palin’s former brother-in-law. She filed an ethics complaint against herself with the state’s Personnel Board in an effort to undercut the ongoing and active legislative investigation into the matter. (Anchorage Daily News, “Palin seeks review of Monagan firing case,” 9/3/08)

“We expect that Gov. Palin will talk tonight about bringing change and reform to Washington,” Donnelly continued. “However, we now know that all she would bring to Washington are ties to special interests and the corrupt politicians and politics that have dominated Alaska for years.”

Campaign Money Watch is a project of the nonpartisan Public Campaign Action Fund. The organization works to hold politicians who are against comprehensive campaign finance reform accountable for where they get their political donations.