Tillis, a Big Money 20 incumbent, has taken $2.2 million from corporate PACs over the course of his career
ECU-endorsed Senate challenger candidate Cal Cunningham is rejecting corporate PAC money
Cunningham opens up a 7-point lead over Tillis after voters hear the contrast in their records on taking corporate PAC money
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has made a career out of putting corporate special interests ahead of North Carolina. In the third fundraising quarter of 2019 alone, Tillis took nearly $227,000 from corporate PACs, accounting for 19 percent of his fundraising haul. Only four percent of Tillis’ contributions came from small, individual donors.
“Senator Thom Tillis’ loyalty lies with corporate special interests, not North Carolinians,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “Look no further than Senator Tillis skipping a Veterans Affairs Committee hearing to attend a fundraiser. Tillis also did nothing to protect $80 million for military installation projects, siding with President Trump instead of the people of North Carolina. From the beginning of his campaign, Cal Cunningham has put North Carolinians first. Thom Tillis has to rely on big dollar donors because he’s failed to build grassroots support in North Carolina.”
Cal Cunningham is building a grassroots movement of small dollar donors and rejecting corporate PAC money. A veteran and former State Senator, Cunningham has made rooting out the corrupting influence of corporate special interest money in politics a cornerstone of his U.S. Senate campaign. In a recent interview with Fox 8 News, Cunningham reiterated his commitment to fighting for North Carolinians.
“My loyalty is to 10.5 million North Carolinians. This is where I grew up. These are the people that I live with. These are the people that make me who I am today. And nobody is going to tell me how to vote in the United States Senate except for the people of North Carolina.”
ECU is a traditional political action committee (PAC) with more than four million members, including 91,500 in North Carolina. ECU raised $44 million in the 2018 cycle and helped elect 150 members to the 116th Congress, including two new U.S. Senators and 58 new U.S. Representatives. The reform group is entirely grassroots-funded with an average donation of just $14.
For a full list and additional background on the Big Money 20, click here.
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