By: Nikita Biryukov
Andy Kim on Monday announced a slate of campaign finance reforms he’ll seek if elected to fill the seat currently held by Rep. Tom MacArthur.
Among the Kim’s proposals were ones to ban campaign contributions to legislators from industries that those legislators regulate, institute a statutory requirement for members of Congress to put their assets in mutual funds or blind trusts and overturn Citizens United, the landmark 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively legalized limitless outside spending in political campaigns.
“I’m tired of corporations and special interests cutting to the front of the line in Washington because of their influence over Congress. It needs to change now,” Kim said. “This platform is a launching point for getting a government that will focus on the people instead of corporate special interests. By promoting transparency and accountability, I hope to start restoring people’s trust in government.”
The announcements follow a longtime pledge from Kim to not accept contributions from corporate political action committees.
The candidate also pledged not to move to K Street after he leaves Congress, as many do, and to forgo his congressional salary in the case of a government shutdown.
Kim’s PAC-busting efforts don’t extend to all outside groups. In a press scrum following an event with End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller, Kim said he supported the ability of unions to inject funds into elections using PACs.
“My main concern is about the corporate PACs,” Kim said. “I think a lot of non-profit organizations, I think they play a really important role in our political space, and I think having their opportunity for their voices to continue to be strong. I’m thankful to have support from unions and other great political organizations that are focused on the political issues and not about their corporate bottom line.”
Labor and corporate PACs share similar restrictions on how they can fundraise, with the former only being able to solicit donations from members and the latter from shareholders and managers. Super PACs don’t have those limits and can generally accept funds without limit from anyone, though they cannot directly contribute to candidate campaigns.