End Citizens United (ECU) // Let America Vote (LAV) today endorsed Congressman Colin Allred for the U.S. Senate in Texas. Congressman Allred, who has refused to take a dime of corporate PAC money throughout his time in Congress, is one of the fiercest champions in the democracy reform movement.
“Congressman Allred is a leader among leaders in the movement to return the power in our democracy back to where it belongs: with the people,” said ECU // LAV President Tiffany Muller. “His advocacy and leadership on rooting out corruption and protecting the freedom to vote is critical at a time when dark money special interests and extremist politicians are undermining the voices and votes of the people. Texans want a leader who can serve and represent them with honor and integrity, and no one embodies that better than Colin Allred. We’re incredibly excited to endorse Congressman Allred for Senate and look forward to helping him win.”
“As a former voting rights attorney, I know how important it is that we act to shore up our democracy and protect the right to vote,” said Congressman Allred. “Texas has long been the battleground for making it harder to vote and stripping folks of their ability to participate in our democracy. I always have and always will work to make our democracy work better for every Texan, regardless of their political affiliation. I am honored to be endorsed by End Citizens United and Let America Vote, an organization that has been leading the charge to do just that.”
Congressman Allred’s opponent, Senator Ted Cruz, has fought to increase the role of Big Money in politics. He introduced a deceptively named bill that would allow politicians to take unlimited money from mega-donors directly into their campaign accounts. In his quest to become the most corrupt Washington politician, Senator Cruz wrote an op-ed in defense of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision and even accepted campaign donations from Citizens United, the pro-Big Money group. Senator Cruz has repeatedly attacked anti-corruption reforms, saying that “money absolutely can be speech” and that efforts to reform Big Money in politics was about “silencing” citizens.
In 2018, ECU was a major supporter of Congressman Allred, who was part of the historic class that flipped the chamber by promising to stand up for working families––not special interests and big corporations. Throughout his time in Congress, he has followed through on his promise to return power to Texans by refusing corporate PAC money and cosponsoring and passing the For the People Act (H.R. 1)––a once-in-a-generation anti-corruption bill that would stop billionaires and corporate special interests from buying our elections, shine a light on dark money, end partisan gerrymandering, protect the freedom to vote, and institute iron-clad ethics laws. The bill included two of Congressman Allred’s provisions, the Shell Company Abuse Act, which would make it a felony to use or create an American shell company to conceal illegal political spending by foreign nationals and the Know Your Polling Place Act, which would require states to notify voters of changes in their polling places before a federal election. Congressman Allred earned an “A+” on ECU // LAV’s 2022 legislative scorecard, a testament to his strong advocacy on anti-corruption and voting rights legislation.
ECU // LAV 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. Since its founding in 2015, the group has had over 1 million donors and raised $200 million, with an average donation of just $14. The group has more than four million members nationwide.
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