Voting rights champion set to take on most anti-voter Governor in the nation
O’Rourke is once again refusing to take any corporate special interest money and will fund his campaign through individual donors
End Citizens United // Let America Vote (ECU // LAV) today announced its endorsement of former Congressman Beto O’Rourke for Governor of Texas. O’Rourke has been an outspoken advocate of protecting the freedom to vote, fighting back against Texas’ anti-voter efforts, and cracking down on the corrupting influence of Big Money in politics. His historic 2018 Senate campaign proved that candidates can run successful fundraising operations through grassroots, people-powered campaigns instead of relying on corporate special interests.
“There is no bigger champion for getting big money out of politics and standing up for the voice and vote of the people of Texas than Beto O’Rourke. He is running against the most anti-voter Governor in the nation, who recently signed into law one of the most egregious, anti-American restrictive voter laws in generations,” said Tiffany Muller, President of End Citizens United // Let America Vote. “With Beto O’Rourke in the Governor’s mansion, Texans will have someone fighting to ensure they always have a voice on the issues that matter most to them, regardless of their political party. We look forward to working with Beto and seeing him bring positive change to the Lone Star State as Governor.”
As a member of Congress, O’Rourke was one of the first members to reject corporate PAC money, doing so as early as 2014. In the House, O’Rourke co-sponsored the Democracy for All Amendment which would overturn the disastrous Citizens Uniteddecision; introduced the No PAC Act which would prevent congressional candidates and members of Congress from taking PAC money or establishing a Leadership PAC; introduced the Real Time Transparency Act which would require all contributions of $1,000 or more to be reported within 48 hours; and co-sponsored the Get Foreign Money Out of Politics Act, which would close loopholes that allow foreign companies to spend money to influence American elections. During his 2018 Senate campaign, he raised over $80 million without taking a cent from corporate PACs. In his presidential campaign, he once again rejected corporate PAC money and unveiled a bold agenda to protect voting rights. Since leaving Congress, he’s been a leading advocate for Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and spoken out against the wave of anti-voter laws being passed across the country this year, including in Texas.
In contrast, his opponent Governor Greg Abbott has been the most anti-voter Governor in the nation. Under his watch, Texas has become one of the most difficult states to vote in. Since 2013, Texas has closed at least 750 polling locations, the most of any state. Those closed polling sites were disproportionately in Black and brown neighborhoods. In the 2020 election, Texas ranked 44th in voter turnout out of all 50 states. Earlier this year, Governor Abbott called two separate special sessions to pass a dangerous restrictive voting bill to silence the voice and vote of the people of Texas. Abbott has been more focused on appeasing radical, corporate-funded special interests and engaging in partisan politics rather than improving the lives of hard-working Texas families by fixing the state’s broken electric grid.
ECU // LAV, a leading anti-corruption and voting rights group, raised and spent $65.5 million in small dollar, grassroots donations in the 2020 election cycle. Its $12.5 million federal independent expenditure made it the 4th largest issue group spending on the Democratic side. Through its grassroots members, ECU // LAV raised $9.5 million directly for endorsed candidates and state ballot measures. The group also donated nearly $2.5 million directly to its endorsed campaigns.
ECU // LAV merged in 2020. The group is dedicated to combating the two biggest challenges facing our democracy: the corrosive impact of Big Money and attempts to block access to the ballot box. In 2020, ECU // LAV led the fight to protect all Americans’ right to vote and played a pivotal role in electing anti-corruption Senate candidates that helped flip the chamber. ECU // LAV has more than four million members nationwide, including nearly 154,000 in Texas.
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