As MAGA extremists threatened democracy in 2022, End Citizens United // Let America Vote led the fight to hold election deniers accountable and to elect candidates committed to protecting the voice and vote of every American. In addition to holding the Senate and defending key House seats, ECU // LAV engaged in secretary of state and attorney general races through a new Democracy Defenders program. Protecting democracy was a top motivator for voters and a big reason for Democrats’ success in 2022.
We also reached major milestones this cycle, surpassing 1 million donors and raising $200 million to protect democracy since our founding in 2015.
ECU // LAV also led the advocacy campaign in support of the Freedom to Vote Act helping push this once in a generation transformational bill to within the 1 yard line of passing, and changing the landscape of both democracy and the filibuster. We also worked to pass pro-democracy ballot measures, held corporations accountable for funding insurrectionists and extremists, and partnered with allies in support of a pro-democracy agenda in Washington and around the country.
By the Numbers
Victories
- Won 160 races up and down the ballot
- 83 House races, including 96% win rate among endorsed Frontliners, 10 Red-to-Blue flips
- 10 Senate races, defending all incumbents and flipping Pennsylvania
- 14 wins in AG and SOS races
- 8 gubernatorial races
- 45 state legislative races in 6 states, helping flip both chambers of the Michigan legislature, flip the Pennsylvania House, and prevent a GOP supermajority in the North Carolina House
Total raised and spent for anti-corruption and pro-democracy candidates and legislation
- $80.6 million total raised and spent in the 2022 cycle
- $36.9 million on electoral and issue advocacy paid communications
- $10 million on grassroots and grasstops issue organizing
- $4.2 million raised and donated directly to candidates
Supporting Candidates
- 19 paid communication
- independent expenditures
- 56 events for candidates across the country
Holding Republicans Accountable
- 20 Republicans named to Big Money 20
- 13 election deniers inducted in the Voter Suppression Hall of Shame
- Filed Ethics, FEC, IRS, DOJ, or state complaints against 16 Republicans for violating anti-corruption and campaign finance laws
Defending Democracy on the Frontlines
Democracy Defenders
End Citizens United // Let America Vote launched its first ever Democracy Defenders program in June of 2021 for preeminent attorney general and secretary of state candidates. Over the past year and a half, ECU // LAV elevated the Democracy Defenders through campaign and press events, fundraising, research and messaging support, polling, and paid communications. We won 14 AG and SOS races and defeated every election denier running for AG or SOS in a battleground race.
Sprint to Save Democracy Tour
End Citizens United // Let America Vote launched its Sprint to Save Democracy Tour to boost candidates who are committed to protecting democracy and fighting corruption. In total, ECU President Tiffany Muller and other ECU staff visited 14 states and campaigned with 53 candidates in 56 events, traveling over 27,000 miles.
On-The-Ground Staff Support
ECU sent staff to key battleground states in the final weeks of the election, providing critical communications, fundraising, events, and field support.
Paid Media Campaigns
Independent Expenditures
End Citizens United ran independent expenditures in 19 races this cycle, including in secretary of state and attorney general races.
ECU won in 16 of those races, including going undefeated in non-federal races.
These independent expenditures included 55% on behalf of candidates of color and 55% on behalf of female candidates.
IEs in key state and federal races this year:
Pro-democracy Messaging Strategy
Pro-Democracy Messaging
Democratic candidates in key battleground races made anti-corruption and pro-democracy a top message in their races. These messages included taking on threats to democracy, including election deniers and political violence, attacks on the right to vote, and the corrupting influence of money in politics and corporate interests that are stacking the deck in their favor.
- In the battleground Senate races in Arizona, Georgia, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, Democrats spent $50 million on 92 ads that covered democracy issues. This was 25.5% of all Democratic ads and 23.6% of all Democratic spending in these races.
- Almost 90% of ads about January 6 ran in the final 6 weeks of the election, as voters – particularly Independent voters – were focusing on and making their decisions about the election.
- Anti-corruption and money in politics ads specifically featured candidates highlighting their no corporate PAC pledges, support for banning stock trading for members of Congress, standing up to corporate greed, and fighting political corruption.
Rise of No Corporate PAC candidates
This cycle saw more No Corporate PAC House and Senate candidates on the general election ballot of any cycle with 170 candidates refusing corporate PAC money, an increase from 155 candidates in 2020 and 124 candidates in 2018.
- The 118th Congress will have a record number of members refusing corporate PAC money at 73. This is an increase from 59 members at the beginning of the 117th Congress and 56 at the beginning of the 116th Congress.
- For the second consecutive cycle, 100% of newly elected Democratic Senators refuse corporate PAC money.
- 53% of the incoming House freshman members refuse corporate PAC money.
Post-Election Poll: Democracy was Top Motivating Factor for Voters
Protecting democracy top motivator for voters
Despite predictions to the contrary, Democrats had a successful election night this November. Voter concerns about threats to our democracy played a major role in Democrats’ victory.
To better understand how swing voters thought about democracy in this election, ECU // LAV and Impact Research conducted an exit poll, which found that democracy was one of the biggest motivating factors behind Democrats’ victory, mobilizing base voters and swinging Independents – and even Republicans – to vote for Democrats.
Some of the top points from the poll were:
- “Protecting democracy” was the top issue (59%) listed by voters as an “extremely important” reason they decided to vote in this election, ahead of inflation (53%), overturning Roe v. Wade (47%), and crime and public safety (45%).
- Over half of Independent voters rated protecting democracy as an extremely important reason for why they voted.
- Voters trusted Democrats in Congress over Republicans to stand up to threats to democracy by a 10-point margin.
- Voters specifically view corruption and Big Money in politics (53%) and extremist politicians refusing to accept election results (41%) as the top threats to democracy.
Anti-Corruption/Voting Rights Legislation
H.R. 1/Freedom to Vote Act
The success of the 2022 election cycle built off of ECU // LAV leading the charge in partnership with our friends at the National Democratic Redistricting Committee in 2021 on a historic $40 million campaign in support of the For the People Act/Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Act. The push for federal anti-corruption and voting rights legislation became a top priority for Democrats. The bill passed the House and had majority support in the Senate.
Progressive groups launch $30 million effort to push voting rights legislation
For Voting Rights Advocates, a ‘Once in a Generation Moment’ Looms
House passes sweeping voting rights bill over GOP opposition
Advocacy and Corporate Accountability
Holding Corporations Accountable
In the wake of the January 6 insurrection, ECU worked to hold corporate America accountable for their continued funding of members of Congress who voted to overturn the will of the people.
Pro-Democracy Advocacy
Our team worked to push an anti-corruption and pro-democracy agenda in Washington and across the country:
- Ran an ad campaign in support of the STOCK Act to ban members of Congress from trading stocks.
- Pushed for passage of a reform to the Electoral Count Act to protect the will of the voters and to prevent attempts to overthrow election results similar to January 6.
- Filed an amicus brief in Moore v. Harper, where extremist conservatives are trying to open the door to unchecked partisan gerrymandering and even more restrictive voting laws.
- Partnered with other good government groups to support measures to restore fairness to our courts, talk about the corrupting influence of money in politics, and the effects of the Citizens United decision.
- Supported allies’ legislative and policy fights to strengthen democracy and defend against attacks in states like Georgia, New York, and California.
- Invested in pro-democracy ballot measures with every measure winning, some with more support than anything else on the ballot including codifying expanded voting access in Michigan and creating “democracy dollars” to level the playing field and incentivize candidates to go after small dollar donations instead of special interests in Oakland, California.
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