Hicks is rejecting corporate PAC money
Rep. Andy Barr has taken $2.3 million from corporate PACs
Democrat Andy Beshear won Kentucky’s Sixth Congressional District by 14 points in the 2019 governor’s race
End Citizens United (ECU) today endorsed Josh Hicks for Congress in Kentucky’s Sixth Congressional District. Hicks is putting Kentuckians’ interests first by rejecting corporate PAC money and building a grassroots campaign powered by small donors. Congressman Andy Barr has taken $2.3 million from corporate PACs over the course of his career.
“Josh Hicks will bring new, accountable leadership that Kentuckians deserve,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “From serving as a police officer and Marine, Josh has dedicated his career to public service. Josh is building a campaign powered by everyday people, not corporate PACs, which is why he’ll always be able to put Kentucky first. Congressman Andy Barr’s loyalty is to corporate special interests and big money donors. End Citizens United is proud to endorse Josh Hicks, and we look forward to helping him win.”
“Corporate influence has corrupted our government,” said Josh Hicks. “Politicians these days sit around waiting for a big fat corporate PAC check or unlimited dark money to guarantee their reelection. But I can tell you, people in Kentucky’s Sixth District are tired of having their voices drowned out by special interests. A pharmaceutical company isn’t trying to stop the opioid epidemic, and a Wall Street bank isn’t worried about whether working people have good-paying jobs.
“I’m not accepting any corporate PAC money for this campaign and that is a much-needed first step towards restoring people’s faith in our democracy. I call on Andy Barr to do the same: swear off corporate PAC money and return the contributions you have taken from pharmaceutical companies, health insurance corporations, and the financial services industry.”
Josh Hicks joins a growing movement of reformers in rejecting corporate PAC money. In the 116th Congress, nearly 60 members are refusing to take corporate PAC money, which includes 27 members of the House freshman class who flipped their district. While Barr has been in office since 2013, Democrats are growing momentum in Kentucky’s Sixth Congressional District on the heels of Andy Beshear winning the district by 14 points in the 2019 gubernatorial race.
A new bipartisan poll shows that a majority of voters see corruption in the political system as the most serious problem facing the country, especially among independents. The poll also finds that unlimited, undisclosed political contributions and the influence of big money in politics are seen as major problems. 60 percent of voters believe that the amount of corporate special interest money in politics affects their lives and 83 percent of voters support disclosure of contributions engaged in electoral politics.
ECU is dedicated to getting Big Money out of politics and fixing the rigged system in Washington D.C. so government works for all Americans. The reform group has four million members nationwide, including 6,600 in Kentucky’s Sixth Congressional District, and is entirely grassroots-funded with an average donation of just $14.
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