By Bridget Bowman
May 13, 2021
(Roll Call) – A group calling for an overhaul of the campaign finance system has announced its first Senate endorsements for the 2022 cycle, backing five Democratic incumbents.
The group, known as End Citizens United and Let America Vote, is endorsing Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Michael Bennet of Colorado, according to an announcement shared first with CQ Roll Call.
“During their time in the Senate, these five reformers have become leaders in the battle against Big Money in politics and protecting our constitutional right to vote,” ECU/LAV President Tiffany Muller said in a statement.
End Citizens United has been an active player in recent election cycles, supporting Democratic candidates. The group spent $14.2 million in independent expenditures during the 2020 election cycle, according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission. In January 2020, the group merged with Let America Vote, which was founded by former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, who ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2016.
All five of the Democratic senators the group is endorsing have signed on as co-sponsors to S 1, a sweeping proposal that would overhaul campaign finance rules, redistricting, voting practices, and lobbying and ethics regulations.
Of the group’s first Senate endorsements, all but Bennet are in races that Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates as Senate battlegrounds. Republicans need a net gain of just one seat to win control of the chamber.