Money Out of Politics
Money Out of Politics
Wealthy interests spend effectively unlimited money buying our politicians and the results are exactly what you would expect. A well-known Princeton study found that what ordinary people want has almost no measurable impact on what policy outcomes actually get passed in this country. On issue after issue, strong majority support from the public translates into nothing, while the preferences of wealthy donors and organized business interests become law. That is not a functioning democracy. We need comprehensive reforms to reclaim the democratic power of regular people.
In 2024, federal election spending reached a record $16 billion, with outside spending alone hitting $4.5 billion and dark money spending reaching $1.9 billion, also records. Elon Musk personally spent more than $290 million to elect Donald Trump, the largest disclosed political donation by an individual in American history, and he was rewarded with a senior White House role and effective veto power over federal agencies that regulate his companies. Six other billionaires each gave over $100 million in the same cycle. Elections are essentially auctions for the ultra-rich. We need to end the auction and declare the people the winners.
My campaign is entirely grassroots, powered by ordinary people rather than corporate PACs or federal lobbyists. I refuse corporate PAC money and federal lobbyist money. I am loyal only to the Constitution and my constituents. This is not just a symbolic commitment. Every dollar a politician takes from a corporate interest is a dollar that buys their attention, their time, and eventually their vote. The only way to be genuinely accountable to working people is to refuse the money that makes politicians accountable to someone else.
Citizens United v. FEC unleashed unlimited corporate spending on our elections by ruling that political spending is a form of protected speech and that corporations have the same free speech rights as everyday people. The result has been exactly what critics predicted: a torrent of dark money, super PACs, and corporate-funded interest groups drowning out ordinary voters.
One of my top priorities will be to build support for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. We must firmly establish that corporations are not people and that money is not speech. Restoring these basic principles is foundational to every other reform on this list. As long as unlimited corporate money can flood our elections, no other democratic reform will be enough.
I support public financing of federal elections. When campaigns are funded by small-dollar donations matched with public funds, candidates can run competitive races without being dependent on wealthy donors or corporate interests. Public financing programs at the state and municipal level have been shown to produce more diverse candidate pools, more responsive representatives, more time spent talking to constituents, and more faith in the strength of democracy.
Public financing should be paired with robust small-donor matching programs, so that a candidate's ability to run for office depends on the support of their community rather than the pockets of wealthy donors.
Even without overturning Citizens United, there is a lot Congress can do to stop dark money, such as:
Passing the DISCLOSE Act, which would require organizations spending money in federal elections to disclose their major donors. This would close many of the loopholes that allow shell organizations and politics-oriented nonprofits to launder anonymous corporate and billionaire contributions. The bill has been introduced repeatedly and blocked repeatedly by the same people who benefit from dark money secrecy.
Requiring full, timely disclosure of the true sources of political spending, including the donors behind super PACs and shell organizations.
Strengthening rules against coordination between candidates and supposedly-independent SuperPACs designed only to support a particular candidate.
Real enforcement authority and funding for the Federal Election Commission, which has been deliberately weakened and circumvented by the political establishment.
The movement of people and money among Congress, federal agencies, and the private sector is the source of many of our problems. Staffers write legislation and then leave to lobby on it. Regulators write rules and then leave to fight them on behalf of the industries they used to oversee. Members of Congress retire into multimillion-dollar lobbying careers built on the relationships and knowledge they accumulated on the public dime.
I will advocate for meaningful cooling-off periods before former members of Congress, senior staff, and federal officials can lobby, along with real restrictions on the kinds of corporate payments and board seats they can accept after leaving office.
Lobbying is protected by the First Amendment, covered under the right to petition the government. Today’s lobbying industry bears almost no resemblance to that constitutional principle. Corporate lobbyists far outnumber members of Congress; they write large portions of the legislation that eventually becomes law and they operate with minimal disclosure and weak enforcement.
I support legislation stipulating stronger registration and disclosure requirements for lobbyists, a ban on lobbyist contributions to the members they lobby, and clear, codified rules against bribery and corruption. Ordinary constituents should not have to compete with paid professional advocates just to be heard by their own representatives.
Every issue on my platform, from healthcare to housing to war and peace, faces the challenge of operating in a system in which the people who benefit from the status quo can pay to protect it. Democracy means that the people who live under the law get to shape it. When money decides instead, we do not have a democracy. I am running to change that because everything else depends on it.
My Checklist for Congress
Refuse PAC money
Propose a Constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United
Bolster public financing for elections
Close dark money loopholes
Stop revolving door practices
Reform lobbying laws and disclosure requirements