Tireless Granny D supports campaign finance bill

Political activist "Granny D" Haddock gets petitions signed

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Doris Haddock, a 90-year-old political activist better known as Granny D, said Monday she is happy the Senate is considering an overhaul of campaign finance laws, but she vowed to keep walking in support of her cause.

"I want to keep campaign finance reform on the front burner as long as is necessary, until we get public funding for our campaigns," Haddock told CNN.

The diminutive great-grandmother made headlines with her cross-country trek -- from January 1999 through February 2000 -- in support of an overhaul of the nation's campaign finance laws.

She is in the capital Monday as the Senate kicks off debate on the McCain-Feingold legislation, which would ban "soft money" contributions. Haddock said she supports the bill.

"It's a beginning," said Granny D, whose nickname comes from her great-grandchildren. "It's only the tip of the iceberg, but it's the beginning of change in our government, back to the democracy, not to elections that have been bought and paid for by our wealthy men and big-money interests."

Granny D made the 3,200-mile trek, starting from her home January 1, 1999, in Los Angeles, California, despite arthritis and emphysema. Often accompanied by supporters, she stopped frequently along the way to speak at rallies and news conferences. She arrived at the Capitol in Washington on February 29, 2000.

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Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin
Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona
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