End Citizens United (ECU) President Tiffany Muller issued the following statement ahead of the 14th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v FEC decision this Sunday:
“In the 14 years since the disastrous Citizens United decision, our democracy has been fundamentally undermined by billionaires and corporate special interests. The tsunami of unlimited dark money in our politics has effectively drowned out the voice of the people in favor of the wealthy few.
“From the overturning of Roe, to the attempts to overthrow our elections, to the corruption plaguing the Supreme Court, Big Money is the root cause of the partisanship and lack of progress in our country. It’s the reason we’re seeing our rights and freedoms stripped from us.
“Our government is no longer accountable to the people. And until we sever the ties between our elected officials and the special interests, we will continue down the dangerous road to plutocracy.
“On this anniversary, and in the midst of one of the most perilous moments in our democracy, we are more committed than ever to reform our broken campaign finance system, overturn Citizens United, pass the Freedom to Vote Act, and return power to where it rightfully belongs—with the American people. The survival of our democracy depends on it.”
Muller also published an op-ed in Courier Newsroom highlighting the connection between Citizens United, the corruption in the Supreme Court, and how it’s undermining our democracy.
Ten facts on the impact of the Citizens United decision:
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Outside groups have spent over $11 billion in federal elections since the Citizens United decision.
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Over $1 billion dollars in untraceable dark money was spent in the 2020 cycle alone.
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Over 96% of all outside spending in federal elections over the past 30 years has come since Citizens United.
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The $6.4 billion spent by super PACs since Citizens United is almost 4X what it cost to make all eleven Star Wars movies.
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The top 100 mega donors in the 2022 cycle spent $1.2 billion––60% more than what all 3.7 million small dollar donors spent that cycle.
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Wall Street has been the top industry contributor in federal elections since Citizens United, with over $4.3 billion in contributions, including over $2 billion in just the past two election cycles.
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In the election cycles following Citizens United, the pharmaceuticals and health products industry has spent over $400 million on elections.
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The Gun Lobby has spent over $171 million in outside spending since Citizens United, nearly three times more than what gun safety advocates have spent.
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Oil and gas companies accounted for half of all corporate contributions over $1 million to outside groups in the 2020 cycle––with every contribution going to GOP super PACs and dark money groups.
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Protecting democracy was the top issue listed by voters as an extremely important reason they decided to vote in the 2022 election, with nearly 80% more likely to support a candidate who wants to ban dark money.
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