To the extent that special-interest contributions can be reduced, members of Congress will have fewer special obligations, freeing them to work for the general public interest.

According to New York Times columnist Frank Rich, Jacobson and her husband, Mark Penn "helped brand the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign as a depository for special-interest contributions."

Common Cause, the public interest group, says the Clinton bill would squeeze $130 million in special-interest contributions out of Presidential and Congressional politics.

Lonsdale announced that he would refused to take special-interest contributions in his campaign, and would finance the campaign himself with the millions he had made from Bend Research.

Taxpayers may exult at the budgetary success the brand-new office had in substituting taxpayers' money for big special-interest contributions in this year's city political campaigns - the first large municipal experiment of its kind in the country.

This is the most practical way to end special-interest contributions and to allow the candidates with the most innovative ideas - always Mr. Gore's strong point - to reach the public.

In exchange for forgoing special-interest contributions, the candidate receives enough money to run a competitive race.

The bill - named for Christopher Shays, a Connecticut Republican, and Martin Meehan, a Democrat from Massachusetts - would ban the "soft money" that allows unlimited special-interest contributions to political parties.

Lonsdale also refused to take special-interest contributions in his campaign, instead financing the campaign himself.

Mr. Goldstein also said that Mr. Franks was vulnerable to attack for his own acceptance of special-interest contributions.