Big Money 20 members are top targets for End Citizens United in 2018
ECU has endorsed Max Rose, who is rejecting corporate PAC and lobbyist money; Donovan has taken $500,000 from corporate PACs and lobbyists
End Citizens United (ECU) today named Rep. Dan Donovan as the latest member of itsBig Money 20, a list of the group’s top targets to defeat in November. The Big Money 20 represents the worst of Washington’s rigged system: politicians who do the bidding of their big donors at the expense of the American people. ECU will help inform voters about politicians who put the special interests that fund their campaigns over the needs of their constituents.
“Families in Staten Island and South Brooklyn aren’t getting the representation they deserve because Congressman Donovan is busy looking out for the corporate special interests that support his campaign,” said ECU President Tiffany Muller. “We’re welcoming Donovan to the Big Money 20 because he’s one of Congress’ most purchasable representatives, and it’s time to kick him out. His opponent, Max Rose, is saying no to lobbyist and corporate PAC money because he believes New Yorkers should never have to question who he’s working for.”
Over his career, Donovan has taken $500,000 from corporate PACs and lobbyists. It’s a stark contrast to Rose, who refuses to take that money. And Donovan has voted to give more power and influence to his special interest and mega-donor allies by voting against the DISCLOSE Act, which would bring more transparency to political spending. The Koch network and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, two groups that have spent $500,000 to keep Donovan in office, lobbied heavily against the DISCLOSE Act.
In March of 2017, Donovan voted to roll back historic consumer privacy protections for New Yorkers by allowing internet providers to sell their data without permission. He continued to look out for telecom special interests who backed him by refusing to take a position over the repeal of net neutrality, despite pleas from his constituents to do so. Unsurprisingly, he’s taken $40,000 from telecom and business entities that lobbied heavily for the bill.
In Staten Island, studies have linked high cancer rates to fossil fuel pollution, yet Donovan has taken over $77,000 from the oil and gas industry over his career.
Over the past two years, ECU has conducted extensive polling and research showing that getting big money out of politics is a key issue for voters. In fact, independent and unaffiliated voters consistently rank it a high priority, ahead of or equal to jobs and health care. Two out of three voters believe the amount of money in politics affects “kitchen table” issues.
ECU endorsed Max Rose in January, citing his commitment to getting Big Money out of politics and his pledge to reject corporate PAC money. Rose is making campaign finance reform a central theme in his campaign, and recently included it in his first TV ad. Leading up to the primary, ECU President Tiffany Muller traveled to NY-11, where she held a roundtable discussion with Rose about unrigging the system in Washington.
End Citizens United is dedicated to getting Big Money out of politics. The group is working to elect members of Congress who will fight to overturn Citizens United and pass meaningful reforms. Established in 2015, End Citizens United has four million members, including 5,000 in NY-11, and 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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