End Citizens United Endorses Theresa Greenfield; Names Ernst to “Big Money 20”

The endorsement coincides with End Citizens United’s naming of Sen. Joni Ernst (IA-SEN) to the Big Money 20, the group’s top targets to defeat in 2020. ECU’s Big Money 20 campaign is focused on defeating incumbents who benefit most from the corrupt establishment in Washington by showing voters how politicians like Sen. Ernst put corporate special interest donors ahead of the people they’re supposed to represent.

“Theresa Greenfield knows that when senators are bought by big corporate special interests, hard working Iowans are left behind,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “Senator Ernst broke her promise to help Iowa families and voted to threaten Medicare and Social Security in Washington while giving millions of dollars in tax breaks to Wall Street and the big corporations that fund her campaign. Iowans deserve a Senator who will fight for their values instead of working to appease Mitch McConnell. By rejecting corporate PAC money, Theresa Greenfield is proving that she will put Iowans ahead of corporate special interests. End Citizens United is proud to endorse Greenfield, and we look forward to helping her win in 2020.”

“Our current system is broken and makes it too easy for big corporations to drown out the voices of everyday Iowans,” said Theresa Greenfield. “Senator Ernst’s role in passing the Republican tax law shows that she’s more concerned with keeping corporate special interests happy than fighting for Iowans. I grew up in a small farm town and understand the needs of our rural communities first hand. It’s time for Iowa to have someone who will fight to protect our jobs, invest in education, and make sure everyone can afford health care. I thank End Citizens United for their endorsement, and I look forward to working together to get toxic, dark money out of politics.”

The Big Money 20 aims to educate voters about incumbents who represent the worst of Washington corruption and rally support for reforming the political system. The members of the Big Money 20 are incumbents who take money from corporate special interests, mega-donors, and industries like Big Pharma and Big Oil and then put those interests ahead of their constituents.

Joni Ernst owes her political career to the Koch brothers, their network, and their millions of dollars. The Kochs brought her into the fold when she was an unknown state legislator, and used their vast and secretive network to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars shepherding her through a competitive primary. Now, as Joni Ernst gears up for reelection, a front group funded by unlimited, secret, dark-money donors launched their campaign to deceive Iowa voters on Joni’s behalf. In the Senate, Ernst took thousands of dollars from pharma and health insurance companies, and gave them multi-billion dollar tax breaks while gutting protections for preexisting conditions, increasing premiums, and allowing insurers to charge older adults five times as much as young people. Joni Ernst is working for Wall Street and mega-donors, not Iowans.

In the 2018 cycle, End Citizens United helped defeat 82% of the Big Money 20 targets. ECU will connect its more than 550,000 members to endorsed candidates who are challenging Big Money 20 targets.

ECU has conducted extensive polling and research showing that voters across the political spectrum support getting big money out of politics. ECU is a traditional political action committee (PAC) with more than four million members, including 27,800 in Iowa. ECU raised $44 million in the 2018 last cycle and helped elect over 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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