Washington, DC –– End Citizens United (ECU) today named Rep. Will Hurd (TX-23) 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 Rep. Hurd put corporate special interest donors ahead of the people they’re supposed to represent.
“Will Hurd owes his career to the big-money donors and corporate special interests who have funneled millions of dollars to his campaigns,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “Time and time again, Hurd has returned the favor by reliably voting for the priorities of corporate special interests. It’s clear that Hurd’s mega-donors are his priority, and the people of Texas’ 23rd Congressional District are not. It’s time for the people to have a representative who listens to them, not only the special interests. End Citizens United will do everything possible to make sure Will Hurd is defeated in 2020.”
The Big Money 20 aims to educate voters about 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 then put those interests ahead of their constituents.
Will Hurd has a long history of attracting the support of outside, big money special interest donors. Over the course of his career, outside groups have spent over $10.7 million to keep him in office. One of Hurd’s biggest supporters is the Congressional Leadership Fund, a corporate-backed, dark-money funded group. Hurd has also received over $109,000 from the telecommunications industry and even went as far as siding with them when they wanted to exploit Texans’ private data. Hurd supported the Republican tax plan, which gave massive tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy while slamming the middle class with a tax increase.
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. For the 2020 cycle, ECU has endorsed Gina Ortiz Jones for Congress in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District.
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 4,500 in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District. 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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