Joni Ernst has accepted over $2 million from corporate PACs; Theresa Greenfield rejects corporate PAC money
Theresa Greenfield, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Iowa, faced off against Senator Joni Ernst for the second time in a debate tonight. Greenfield is building a people-powered movement and has made democratic reform a key focus of her campaign, developing her own plan to End Political Corruption even before getting to Washington.
“Joni Ernst promised to ‘make ‘em squeal’ but instead she fell in line with corporate special interests and Washington corruption like a typical politician,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “Ernst has supported legislation that overwhelmingly helps her corporate special interest donors while harming Iowa families, like repeatedly voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act, blocking efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs, and raising taxes on the middle class. Theresa Greenfield rejects corporate PAC money because she wants to work for the people of Iowa, not corporate special interests.”
Meanwhile, Senator Joni Ernst’s political career has been backed by over $2 million from corporate special interests, including the financial, pharmaceutical, and healthcare industries. While Iowa families continue to struggle to pay medical bills or cover the costs of prescriptions, Senator Ernst has strengthened Big Money’s influence in Congress and has blocked Iowans from quality healthcare and lower prescription drug prices. Ernst supported the 2017 GOP tax bill that gave millions of dollars in tax breaks to the corporate special interests that bankroll her campaign, and Iowa’s middle class was left to cover the costs.
While her voting record is bad enough, Ernst was also caught illegally working with a falsely registered dark money non-profit, a clear violation of the law. After being caught knowingly breaking the law by accepting excessive and prohibited contributions, Ernst’s campaign was forced to pay the largest civil penalty ever levied by the FEC. This is not a reputation to be proud of, and Iowans deserve better.
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