Tom Lutey
08/01/24
(Montana Free Press) End Citizens United is a liberal political action committee that gets its name from a lawsuit that opened the floodgates to political spending by corporations and outside groups. Citizens United v. U.S. Federal Election Commission stemmed from the FEC, in 2008, prohibiting conservative nonprofit Citizens United from airing an opposition video to Hillary Clinton before the primary election season. The FEC said it was too close to the election for the video to air.
The Supreme Court ruled the FEC violated Citizens United’s right to free speech, that money is free speech, and that third-party campaign spending can’t be limited so long as the groups doing the spending aren’t coordinating with campaigns, candidates or political parties, which are subject to contribution limits.
So far, End Citizens United, which has about $13 million, has spent $500,000 on content opposing Sheehy — the most the group has spent on any of the nine candidates it’s focusing on this election. The group has spent more than $53,000 supporting Tester.
The PAC’s largest donors are the estate of Janet Griesinger, located in Ohio, which contributed $158,590, and the affiliated PAC End Citizens United/Let America Vote, which has contributed $100,000.