While we remain focused and committed to winning the Georgia runoffs to close out the final chapter of the 2020 election cycle, we wanted to share the memo below outlining End Citizens United’s (ECU) and Let America Vote’s (LAV) work over the past two years. Although it is just our third election cycle, we made incredible progress towards cementing anti-corruption and voting rights reforms as core elements at the top of the Democratic party’s agenda. Whether it was passing key legislation, like the For the People Act, or winning elections, we are proud of the work we accomplished throughout the 2020 cycle.
The For The People Act (H.R.1)
After a momentous 2018 election in which End Citizens United helped win back the House on an anti-corruption message, the organization hit the ground running, working with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Sarbanes to pass H.R. 1, the For the People Act, with every Democrat voting for it.
(Reps. Spanberger, Golden, Delgado, Crow, and ECU President Tiffany Muller discuss the mandate for reform with Amy Walter at the National Press Club)
(Reps. Spanberger, Golden, Delgado, Crow, and ECU President Tiffany Muller discuss the mandate for reform with Amy Walter at the National Press Club)
(Members of the 116th Congress at the unveiling of H.R.1, the For the People Act)
 US House Democrats Unveil Their First Bill Which Addresses Anti-Corruption At The Capitol |
 House to Vote on Democrats’ Legislative Centerpiece |
 House passes sweeping election reform bill |
Merged with Let America Vote
Let America Vote (LAV) joined ECU’s umbrella of organizations in January 2020 because getting money out of politics and fighting voter suppression are intrinsically linked issues. The merger was especially timely considering the coronavirus pandemic and impending battle over vote-by-mail. We fought back against proposals across the country that attempted to make it harder for eligible voters to cast a ballot.
Raised $65 Million
We raised $65.5 million from grassroots donors in the 2020 cycle, with an average contribution of $14.
Breaking down the numbers:
- $56 million raised for End Citizens United and its affiliated organizations.
- $9.5 million raised directly for the organization’s endorsed federal and state candidates.
- $3,969,000 for female candidates.
- $1,846,000 for candidates of color.
- More than $100,000 each for 23 candidates in key battleground races.
- The $65 million haul represents a $21 million increase from last cycle’s $44 million total raised and more than double the $25 million it raised in 2016, the last presidential cycle.
- ECU has 800,000 lifetime donors, including 312,000 new donors this cycle, and it saw a 44% increase in donor growth from 2018 to 2020.
- Lifetime total raised: Over $130 million.
Elevated the Anti-Corruption Message and Helped Elect a New President
We catapulted money in politics into the national conversation in the Democratic presidential primary, ensuring that anti-corruption and democracy reform legislation would be a top priority for every nominee. In April, ECU/LAV rolled out its endorsement of Vice President Joe Biden, who committed to making reform a first priority in his administration.
Defended Vulnerable Freshmen and Helped Flip Senate Seats
Campaigning through the pandemic, we ran a robust independent expenditure in 39 state and federal races, elected reformers to help hold the House and put the Senate within reach, while the no corporate PAC movement continues to grow.
- Elected 215 endorsed federal and state candidates.
- Won nearly 70% of priority “Reformer at Risk” Frontline House races, many of which were in Trump districts – with one still uncalled.
- Won 3 Senate races – with two more in runoffs.
No Corporate PAC Movement:
- This cycle 155 no corporate PAC candidates advanced to the general election, a significant increase over the 124 of the last cycle.
- 67% of incoming House Democratic Freshmen are not taking corporate PAC money compared to 56% last Congress.
- 100% of Democratic Freshman Senators don’t take corporate PAC money, compared to 0% last Congress.
- 21% of Democrats in the 117th Congress will be refusing corporate PAC money, compared to 17% at the beginning of the 116th Congress.
Responding to the pandemic and its impact on campaigning, we hosted over 90 virtual events, grassroots fundraisers, and town halls:
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In May 2020, we continued to adjust to the pandemic when we launched a brand new national organizing program designed to educate and mobilize voters and protect the right to vote:
- Volunteer Shifts
- 5,301 individual volunteers
- 11,211 total volunteer shifts
- 1,461 volunteers completed text training shifts
- Texting
- 6,751,749 total texts sent to 3,588,612 distinct contacts
- Identified 85,863 Democratic voters
- Made 25,222 plans to vote
- Calling
- Volunteers made 4,208 dials
- Supported phone bank programs for 20 state and federal races
- Through December 9, our volunteers have made 19,700 dials and had 4,925 conversations in the Georgia Runoffs
Expanded Partnerships with Democratic Groups
We continued to expand partnerships with strong allies who share our political priorities, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s Off the Sidelines PAC.
- ECU and OTS won 46 races, including 36 House incumbents, 3 Senate challengers, and 3 Senate incumbents.
We also expanded partnerships with other outside groups, including League of Conservation Voters, EMILY’s List, Brady PAC, Collective PAC, Latino Victory, and NARAL among others to elect a more diverse and reform-minded field of candidates and continue building momentum for our movement.
 Gillibrand PAC, End Citizens United launch effort to boost female candidates |
 Gillibrand’s PAC Partners with Group to Boost Female Candidates |
Helped Protect the Right to Vote and Fought Back Against Misinformation
Because of the unique challenges to voting that COVID brought, along with extreme suppression tactics by President Trump and the Republicans, we made a nearly $3 million investment to fight misinformation, ensure polling places were safe and accessible, encourage people to vote, and make sure voters had all of the information they needed to cast a ballot. As part of this effort we worked closely with leading organizations such as the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and National Democratic Redistricting Committee.
- SAFE Democracy Project: 50-state grassroots strategy focused on building support in Congress for election safety and preparedness funding, as well as pressuring officials in states that did not allow vote-by-mail.
- #SaveTheVote Campaign: Mobilized a coalition of 18 major political and issue advocacy groups to run a war room that pushed back against Trump and Republican misinformation and suppression, provided voter education, and ran get out the vote efforts.
- We ran an ad campaign targeting low propensity voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas, and New Hampshire, our ads drove 56,000 people to websites to learn more about where and how to vote. Additionally, 213,000 of our target low propensity voters cast ballots.
- Over 400 volunteers sent more than 4 million texts to protect and improve access to the ballot and to mobilize voters to win key swing races for candidates committed to anti-corruption reforms.
Marked 10 Year Anniversary of Citizens United
2020 marked 10 years since the Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United decision. We partnered with members, candidates, advocacy groups, and allies to raise awareness and shape the conversation and to remind the country it is time to undo the damage.
 (Muller with Democratic Leadership at a Capitol Hill press conference on the Citizens United anniversary) |
 (Muller at a presidential forum on democracy reform with six presidential candidates prior to the Iowa Caucuses) |
 (Muller at a town hall with Rep. Andy Kim in Oceangate, NJ discussing the decade since Citizens United) |
 (Muller at a roundtable discussion with Leader Hoyer to discuss Citizens United and H.R.1) |
