Issue Position: Campaign Finance

Issue Position

Undoing Citizen's United and Rescuing Democracy

I believe our campaign finance system has been broken under the obscene weight of unlimited donations from the very wealthy and the corporations they run. The danger is not simply that a middle class candidate might lose an election because she was outspent 100 to 1. The danger threatens the very existence of a democratic government of the people, by the people and for the people.

In the last election, Super PACs raised and spent more than $1.1 billion in "dark money" to influence elections. And Super PACs don't have to reveal how much individuals gave or how the money was spent. A 2010 Supreme Court decision made Super PACs possible.

Some 80% of people polled in 2010 OPPOSED the Court's ruling in Citizens United v FEC, which was handed down on a party-line vote. But the decision is now the law of the land. It will continue to poison the essence of democracy, unless a constitutional amendment makes unlimited political donations illegal.

Why do billionaires and the companies they run contribute so much to ensure certain candidates are elected and others are defeated? Because they expect a return on their investment in politicians. And last fall they scored big when Trump signed the Republican-passed TaxScam bill that reduced corporate taxes from 35% to 21%, a windfall of billions of dollars for CEOs and stockholders. In addition, income tax rates for individuals disproportionately benefitted the top 1% of taxpayers (who fund Super PACs) giving them additional spending money of $50,000 a year while the bottom 20% (who DON'T fund Super PACs) received a paltry $60 a year. The $1.5 trillion cost of this debt-exploding TaxScam will mean less money for vital services that lower and middle class taxpayers in the 11th Congressional District rely on.
We need complete transparency in our political donation process as we repair and strengthen the Federal Election Commission to enable it to enforce campaign finance laws. This includes the elimination of Super PACs.

I will fight to strengthen campaign finance reporting laws and will support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and return real political power to the people.
Our campaign finance system is broken. If we don't fix it, we will lose our democracy and the people will have no real representation in our government. We must implement the tools necessary to protect our political and electoral integrity threatened by special interest groups and wealthy individuals.

We need complete transparency in our political donation process as we repair and strengthen the Federal Election Commission to enable it to enforce campaign finance laws. This includes the elimination of Super PACs.

I will fight to strengthen campaign finance reporting laws and will support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and return real political power to the people.

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