Press Releases

In First Round of House Endorsements, End Citizens United // Let America Vote Endorse Rep. Dean Phillips for Reelection

Jun 02, 2021

Phillips has led efforts to protect voting rights and pass anti-corruption reforms and does not accept any PAC money

End Citizens United (ECU) // Let America Vote (LAV) today endorsed Representative Dean Phillips in Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District for reelection, as part of the group’s first round of House of Representatives endorsements for the 2022 election cycle.

Phillips was first elected to the House in 2018 as part of the historic class that flipped the chamber by promising to stand up for working families––not special interests and big corporations––and working to protect and expand voting rights. Since arriving in Washington, he has followed through on his promise to return power to Minnesotans by not accepting any PAC money and twice cosponsoring and passing the for 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 Phillips’s The Voter NOTICE Act that requires election officials to reach out to every registered voter to notify them of any changes to state election rules and The FIREWALL Act, which would prevent foreign interference in American elections by strengthening safeguards around online advertising. Phillips also introduced the bipartisan Elected Official Lobbying Prohibition Act that would close a long-standing loophole that allows local elected officials to lobby on behalf of private clients.

“Since being elected into office, Representative Dean Phillips has led the effort in ending the influence of big corporations and special interests and returning the power to the people. He has taken bold action to strengthen and protect our democracy by working to protect voting rights, remove the influence of dark money and special interests from our elections, and crackdown on the culture of corruption in Washington that gives more power to corporate special interests than everyday Minnesotans,” said ECU // LAV President Tiffany Muller. “We’re proud to support Representative Phillips’s reelection and look forward to working alongside him to limit Big Money in politics, protect the freedom to vote, and make our government work on behalf of Minnesota families.”

ECU // LAV raised and spent $65.6 million in the 2020 election cycle. Its $12.5 million independent expenditure made it the 4th largest issue group spending on the Democratic side. ECU // LAV’s members raised $9.5 million directly for endorsed candidates and state ballot measures. The group also donated nearly $2.5 million directly to its endorsed campaigns.

ECU // LAV merged in 2020. The group 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. ECU led the effort to flip the House in 2018 by supporting pro-reform candidates that stood up to Big Money and corporate special interests. In 2020, ECU // LAV led the fight to protect all Americans’ right to vote, and played a pivotal role in electing anti-corruption Senate candidates that helped flip the chamber. ECU // LAV has more than four million members nationwide, including 17,600 in MN-03.

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