Shaking things Up: I Will Be a Voice for Campaign Finance Reform
As U.S. Senator, I will put Iowans first. Not special interests.
Campaigns are too expensive, and they influence candidates to think more about the money than the people they are supposed to serve.
It’s not just Republicans. Democrats and Republicans both have given in to the allure of the “golden calf” and have ignored the Golden Rule. Our politicians spend more time listening to the voices of lobbyists, big business and Wall Street than hearing the voices of working families.
We deserve better.
Lobbyists, special interests and big business use their money to stop bold action on prescription drug prices, to stop the change that would guarantee health care for every American, and to divide us based on what we look like and where we live.
We deserve better.
We can’t just win elections and hope that our leaders will have a change of heart once in office. Our actions during the campaign season are signs of how we will perform once in office.
As a U.S. Senator, I will be a leading voice for serious campaign finance reform laws that do the following:
Overturn Citizens United — a court decision that has resulted in domestic and foreign billionaires funneling millions into campaigns to influence elections in near secrecy.
Joni Ernst has been a prime recipient of “dark money,” including via the NRA and its Russian interests to the tune of over $3.1 million. Overturning Citizens United is a key step towards ending this pipeline of foreign dark money.
I repeat my pledge: to not take money from Corporate PACs for my campaign and to use the powers of the Senate to pass legislation and bring power back to the people of Iowa.
It’s also time to end the use of “Leadership PACs,” which make a mockery of campaign finance laws. They have been used to stop bold action on climate, to stand in the way of prescription drug reform and to put profits over people when it comes to health care.
I think it’s time to let the people decide, not Leadership PACs and Big Business.
Since her election in 2014, Joni Ernst has raised over $445,000 from Leadership PACs tied to Mitch McConnell and other Republicans. This is in addition to the hundreds of thousands she has taken from insurance companies, Wall Street and financial services firms. See the evidence below:
And it’s not only Republicans who benefit. Leadership PACs controlled by the establishment in Washington D.C. have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Theresa Greenfield. These Leadership PACs have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from prescription drug manufacturers, Wall Street, oil & gas companies, and insurance companies. This money is then given out to preferred candidates that then say they “don’t take corporate PAC money”.
It’s happening in Iowa, in Maine, and in many other campaigns where the D.C. establishment wants to support a “preferred” candidate.
I say — let the people decide. Not Leadership PACs and politicians in D.C. who don’t spend any time talking to Iowans.
Don’t Iowans deserve to decide who represents them in Congress — not PACs in Washington D.C.? Don’t we deserve candidates who are honest and transparent about their fundraising? Not candidates that obfuscate and hide who their donors are?
If elected to the United States Senate I will call for the end of Leadership PACs taking money from corporate PACs and other special interests.
During my time in the Senate, I will work to endorse bills and enact legislation that requires disclosure of dark money donors.
Additionally, one of the first steps towards empowering people over corporations should be term limits for members of Congress. It is also why I am pledging to serve no more than two (2) terms in the United States Senate.
We need publicly financed elections that award matching funds to candidates who meet a reasonable threshold of contributions from INDIVIDUALS. I will also seek to overturn federal rules that limit the ability of states to experiment with alternative campaign finance programs.
Finally, I will ensure that states and local governments have the ability to propose reasonable content-neutral limits on private campaign contributions or spending by outside groups.
We must provide candidates free access to the public’s television and radio airwaves over the final six weeks of a campaign.
By doing so, we can ensure that our ideas are being communicated. Bold, progressive ideas should not be limited to the candidate with the biggest war chest — it is simply undemocratic.
Finally, I will ensure that states and local governments have the ability to propose reasonable content-neutral limits on private campaign contributions or spending by outside groups.
Do these ideas sound like something that would help bring back Democracy in America?
Eddie Mauro is running for the US Senate in Iowa and has pledged not to take contributions from oil, gas and coal industry executives, lobbyists, or PACS, and instead prioritize the health of our families, climate and democracy over profits.
Learn more about Eddie and donate at EddieMauro.com.
