Press Releases

NEW POLL: ECU Digs into Impact of No Corporate PAC Commitment in PA-18

Mar 29, 2018

Almost one-fifth of voters voted for Lamb because of his decision to reject corporate PAC money, second in popularity behind Social Security and Medicare

ECU endorsed Lamb early on, raising $300,000 and spending $250,000 on ads
 

Washington D.C. — A new poll commissioned by End Citizens United (ECU) and conducted by PPP took a post-election, under-the-hood look at the effects of Conor Lamb’s decision to reject corporate PAC money. Lamb, who won in a district that Trump carried by 20 points, used the commitment to bolster his message of economic populism. See the full poll results here.

The poll found strong support for Lamb’s commitment to rejecting corporate PAC money with nearly one-fifth of voters in the district saying it was the main reason they voted for Lamb, second only to Social Security and Medicare. This included 28% of Donald Trump voters and 26% of Independent voters citing it as their main reason for supporting Lamb.

In a race that was decided by just hundreds of votes, Lamb’s commitment appealed to voters across the board. Forty-five percent of all voters said that Lamb’s rejection of corporate PAC money made them more likely to vote for him, which included 20% of Trump voters, 79% of Clinton voters, and 61% of Independents.

Seventy-six percent of voters said they knew that Lamb refused corporate special interest money in his campaign — a reflection of how frequently Lamb used that message in his communication strategy. Lamb touted his commitment in his literature and ads, including his opening bio spot and closing argument. For example, in his ad titled “Your Lives,” Lamb states, “My opponent will work for the special interests that are spending millions to elect him. I’ll work for you.”

The poll also found that 85% of voters believe special interest money in politics is a problem, a finding that is consistent with other polling commissioned by ECU, including inTexas and Colorado’s 6th Congressional District.

“By rejecting corporate PAC money, Lamb broke through voter skepticism about who he was going to work for once elected and countered Republican attacks. It proved to voters early on that he’s running to work for Pennsylvania families and not mega-donors,” said ECU President Tiffany Muller. “The results of this poll continue to prove that the issue of reform is resonating with voters across party affiliation.”

Key takeaways from the poll:

  • Lamb’s decision to reject corporate PAC money was the main reason nearly one-fifth of voters supported Lamb — the second most popular issue behind Social Security and Medicare
  • 76% of voters knew Lamb refused corporate special interest money in his campaign
  • 85% of voters believe special interest money in politics is a problem

PPP surveyed 539 PA-18 voters from March 26-27, 2018. The margin of error is +/- 4.2%.

ECU was the first “big-ticket” group to jump into the race and back Conor Lamb’s campaign. The grassroots PAC had a $550,000 impact on the race — raising $300,000 in small-dollar donations directly for Lamb’s campaign and launching a $250,000 ad campaign. ECU supported Lamb early and stayed active and engaged in the race as Lamb made his commitment to rejecting corporate PAC money and ending the influence of big money in politics a major component of his campaign.

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