John,
Money in politics is a huge and fundamental problem, and there are two main ways money influences elections.
Corporate PACs: Corporate PACs can give $5,000 to a candidate each election cycle. Now, individually that may not sound like a lot. But taken together, companies are able to team up and sway policy. For example, every Big Pharma company can give to a lawmaker, along with their trade group. Taken altogether, it’s a system that results in legalized corruption and special privileges for corporate interests—which stand in the way of higher wages, environmental protections, and even government oversight.
Super PACs: Super PACs can accept unlimited sums of money from just about anyone. In our own Senate race last month, super PACs spent more than $10M against us, and voters only learned which group was truly funding those ads after the election. Super PACs, whether funded by conservative billionaires who are ideologically motivated, or by a corporate interest hoping to shore up a tax break or favorable regulations, threaten to undermine the fairness of our elections. Each election cycle since the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, they dump more and more money into races, eroding the faith Americans have in our political process.
Since getting to Congress in 2019, I’ve been leading the fight for campaign finance reform. But I’ll be honest, right now we don’t have the votes to pass the serious overhaul bill we need.
But right now, without passing a single bill, we can encourage Members of Congress to lead by example and reject corporate PAC money. Every single Member has that choice, and while I’m proud that around 70 of my colleagues have joined me in rejecting it, that leaves over 460 people to go!
That’s where Truth to Power comes in: I started this organization in 2020 to help elect Democrats who reject corporate PAC money. By supporting these candidates—whether in competitive primaries or in purple districts, we can change this norm and create a Democratic party that isn’t beholden to corporate cash.
Truth to Power is grassroots funded, and so I can only continue this work with your support. Can you give a gift of $5 today that will power our fight?
Many thanks for considering,
Katie
