Big Money 20

• Blake Masters is in the pocket of his billionaire benefactor Peter Thiel, who gave $13.5 million to a Super PAC to elect Masters.
• Blake opposes cracking down on corporations that cheat on their taxes, but he wants to privatize Social Security.
• Blake wants to cut taxes for his billionaire donors and millionaires like himself.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for AZ-SEN: Sen. Mark Kelly

• Marco Rubio raked in millions from Big Pharma, Big Oil, and corporate PACs while defending corporate tax cuts and voting against things like lowering drug prices, investing in Florida’s infrastructure, and taking action on climate change.
• He fails to show up to vote when it matters — he has one of the worst attendance records in the Senate — but he made time to push through the 2017 tax plan that benefitted his corporate donors.
• Rubio has racked up ethics scandals including taking illegal donations and personal use of funds, and, recently, he was caught giving his financial advisor a position to select federal judicial nominees — despite having no law degree — after the financial advisor gave him an $850,000 bridge loan.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for FL-SEN: Rep. Val Demings

• Herschel Walker made $331,000 annually as a spokesman for Patriot Support, a for-profit veterans healthcare company that the Justice Department says deliberately misdiagnosed veterans to hospitalize them for profit, and even kept veterans in hospitals longer than necessary for profit.
• Herschel pushed a snake-oil COVID cure — as part of his long history of touting snake oil scams for profit — and lied about his companies giving to charity.
• Herschel attempted to break federal law by hiding the sources of $3.2 million in income from voters.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for GA-SEN: Sen. Raphael Warnock

• As Nevada Attorney General, Adam Laxalt pressured the gaming board to intervene in a lawsuit to the benefit of billionaire mega-donor Sheldon Adelson.
• Also as Attorney General, Adam attempted to block a fraud investigation into Exxon Mobil. After losing his election in 2018, Adam cashed in by representing Big Oil and pocketing $3.8 million.
• Adam broke campaign finance laws by using his state PAC to illegally fund his run for U.S. Senate and he misused a charity to run political smear ads.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for NV-SEN: Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto

• Don Bolduc opposes allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices — while he takes corporate PAC contributions from Big Pharma.
• Don benefitted from millions in spending from Super PACs and dark money groups funded by corporate corporate donations and wealthy donors, and he would go to Washington to cut their taxes and make it easier for big corporations to cheat on their taxes.
• Don would privatize Medicare, selling out the system to private insurance companies.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for NH-SEN: Sen. Maggie Hassan

• Ted Budd is a darling of special interests, which is why they spent $15 million to help him win the Republican nomination. Even Republicans have said Budd is a weak candidate who is ‘wholly owned and operated’ by dark money groups.
• Budd took money from Big Oil just a day before voting against a bill to stop price-gouging at the pump. He took money from Big Pharma while voting against lowering drug prices. And he took money from pay day lenders and Big Banks as he supported their interests.
• A new report revealed Budd “took advantage of his position” in Congress by taking a series of trips, worth over $30,000, to destinations like Miami, Palm Beach, and Oslo, Norway — all funded by corporate special interests.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for NC-SEN: Cheri Beasley

• J.D. Vance is in the pocket of billionaire Peter Thiel, who spent $15 million to get J.D. the Republican nomination. Theil’s PAC paid for campaign strategy documents and draft communications materials that were provided to J.D.’s campaign through a hidden website — in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act.
• J.D. worked for a law firm that represented Chinese companies and lobbied for Purdue Pharma. He’s defended bad trade deals with China that resulted in the loss of manufacturing jobs and he opposed legislation that lowered prescription drug costs.
• J.D. led a group ostensibly dedicated to the opioid epidemic in Ohio, but the organization’s only accomplishment was sponsoring a doctor employed by opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for OH-SEN: Rep. Tim Ryan

• Mehmet Oz built a fortune selling snake oil scams and using his TV show to promote products he owns stock in without disclosing it — including hydrochloroquine, which he promoted as a COVID cure.
• While saying now that he cares about Pennsylvania jobs, Mehmet’s TV show promoted companies linked to China.
• While taking thousands of dollars from Big Pharma and other special interests, Mehmet supports raising taxes on middle class Pennsylvanians and wants to let Big Pharma keep jacking up the price of prescription drugs.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for PA-SEN: Lt. Gov. John Fetterman

• Ron Johnson personally secured his billionaire donors a $215 million tax break in the 2017 tax law. He admitted he also benefitted from the tax breaks he voted for, and has publicly complained he’s only doubled his net worth while in Congress.
• Johnson lied to voters about putting his assets in a blind trust and only serving two terms in office.
• Johnson opposed keeping jobs in the state — saying “it’s not like we don’t have enough jobs in Wisconsin — while voting to reward companies that outsource jobs.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for WI-SEN: Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes

• Tom Patti faced so many ethics problems as a county commissioner, he tried to delete the code of ethics.
• In his congressional campaign, Patti lied and hid information from voters, filing an inaccurate personal financial disclosure. He even claimed he had a car loan worth at least $25 million.
• Patti used his seat on the County Board of Supervisors to lobby for redistricting changes to mold the congressional seat he’d run in, and he tried to have the county pay for a slush fund for him.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for CA-09: Rep. Josh Harder

• Scott Baugh was first elected to office as the result of an illegal scheme where his allies recruited a fake candidate to split the Democratic vote — another person was convicted of two felonies for their role in the scheme.
• Scott has taken thousands from corporate PACs, while advocating for massive tax cuts for those same corporations, opposing efforts to make corporate America pay what they owe, and opposing efforts to catch tax cheats.
• Scott has taken money from Big Pharma, and opposed a plan to cut drug costs, lower insulin costs, and stop drug companies from price-gouging.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for CA-47: Rep. Katie Porter

• Brian Maryott broke the law by paying his campaign staff under the table for months. He said he would remedy this violation, but still hasn’t.
• As Mayor, Brian used taxpayer resources for personal use, and let his political staff dictate his public schedule.
• Brian lied to the public, claiming he wouldn’t accept PAC money, while he instead takes it eagerly.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for CA-49: Rep. Mike Levin

• Bruce Poliquin has taken more than $1.3 million from corporate PACs, and passed a $2 trillion tax cut for corporations paid for by debt that threatens the stability of Social Security.
• Bruce worked for Wall Street, and when he first got to Congress he immediately went to work to pass the industry’s special interest agenda at the expense of hard working families.
• Millionaire Bruce Poliquin was habitually late paying his taxes and improperly benefitted from a timber tax abatement. Then he went to Congress and worked to cut taxes on millionaires like himself.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for ME-02: Rep. Jared Golden

• Tom Barrett broke federal law by using $40,000 from his state campaign to jumpstart his congressional campaign, and hid the purpose from voters.
• Barrett voted 5 times against a plan to bring 5,000 jobs to Michigan, gaining himself the support of the Koch Network’s biggest dark money group.
• Barrett benefitted from tens of thousands of dollars from the DeVos family, corporate PACs, and special interests. 90% of the money he’s received in the Michigan Senate is from political and corporate PACs.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate in MI-07: Rep. Elissa Slotkin

• Entirely beholden to the rich and wealthy corporations, Karoline Leavitt favors cutting their taxes, abolishing the minimum wage, allowing them to pay workers less, and abolishing the IRS so her corporate allies can get away with cheating on their taxes.
• Karoline supports privatizing Social Security, raising the retirement age, and allowing Big Pharma to charge seniors more for insulin.
• Karoline benefitted from millions in spending from outside groups backed by wealthy donors, and rejects efforts to crack down on dark money spending.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for NH-01: Rep. Chris Pappas

• Bob Healey won the GOP primary because of a Super PAC funded by his mother’s millions.
• Bob is running for Congress to cut taxes for other millionaires like himself and his family, and opposes cracking down on rich tax cheats.
• Bob invested in Big Pharma, supported a plan to cut taxes on drugmakers and investments, and opposed a plan to cut drug costs.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for NJ-03: Rep. Andy Kim

• Colin Schmitt took thousands from extremist politicians who are under criminal investigation for trying to overturn the 2020 election.
• Schmitt voted to protect landlords, while his largest donor — a land baron — was accused of buying votes.
• Schmitt has taken thousands from corporate PACs and supported a plan to give a tax handout to wealthy corporations.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidates for NY-18: Rep. Pat Ryan

• Throughout his decades in Washington, Steve Chabot has taken more than $3.3 million in corporate PAC money, voting time and time again to cut taxes for big corporations and their wealthy executives.
• Chabot used his campaign account to pay his son-in-law $150,000 for sham consulting work.
• Chabot invested in an opioid manufacturer, took donations from opioid makers, and then voted to cut taxes on opioid manufacturers, voted against drug treatment funding, and even voted to cut drug treatment care.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for OH-01: Councilmember Greg Landsman

• Lisa Scheller wants to let wealthy Americans buy elections, politicians, and policy outcomes with unlimited amounts of money.
• As Lehigh County Commissioner, Lisa backed a tax plan which lowered her own taxes while raising them on the middle class.
• Lisa’s company outsourced jobs to China, and then she took $5.1 million from the American government as a subsidy during the pandemic, while she took her CEO’s salary.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for PA-07: Rep. Susan Wild

• Yesli Vega lied to the public on her financial disclosures, hiding her finances from Virginia voters.
• As a County Supervisor, she has repeatedly appointed her donors to key board positions.
• She vowed to repeal the bill which lowered drug costs and cracked down on tax cheats and tax-dodging corporations.

ECU/LAV Endorsed Candidate for VA-07: Rep. Abigail Spanberger