Roy has taken over $110,000 from corporate PACs and lobbyists over the course of his career
In 2018, 82% of “Big Money 20” targets were defeated or retired
End Citizens United (ECU) today named Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21) to the Big Money 20, the group’s top incumbents 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 Rep. Roy put corporate special interest donors ahead of the people they’re supposed to represent. ECU has endorsed Wendy Davis, who is rejecting corporate PAC and lobbyist money, for Texas’ 21st Congressional District.
“Rep. Chip Roy is a political insider whose career has long been tied to corporate special interests and other corrupt politicians,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “While Wendy Davis has built her career fighting for Texans’ healthcare and access to quality education, Chip Roy built a career doing the bidding of big donors in search for campaign cash. Rep. Roy even led a Super PAC that accepted unlimited money to prop up Ted Cruz’s unsuccessful presidential bid. Texans need a leader who will put their interests first. End Citizens United will work to defeat Roy and make sure Davis wins in 2020 to give Texans a voice in Congress.”
End Citizens United aims to educate voters about the Big Money 20, incumbents who represent the worst of Washington, 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 Wall Street and then put those interests ahead of their constituents.
Rep. Chip Roy hasn’t even served a full term in Congress and has already accepted $91,750 from corporate PACs and over $20,000 from lobbyists. When the House passed the For the People Act (H.R. 1) in March, a once-in-a-generation anti-corruption and government ethics bill that would crack down on big money in our elections, Roy voted against its passage. This comes as no surprise considering that in 2016 Roy served as the Executive Director of a pro-Ted Cruz Super PAC (Trusted Leadership PAC) which supported Cruz’s presidential bid. Trusted Leadership PAC raised money from various megadonors and corporations, including Richard Uihlein, Richard DeVos, and Murray Energy Corporation. Chip Roy is beholden to corporate special interests, not Texans.
In the 2018 cycle, End Citizens United helped defeat or retire 82% of the Big Money 20 targets. ECU will connect its more than 550,000 donors 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 6,200 in Texas’ 21st Congressional District. ECU raised $44 million in the 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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