O’Connor takes bold step to highlight commitment to reform ahead of August 7 special election
End Citizens United (ECU) today announced that endorsed candidate Danny O’Connor is rejecting corporate PAC money in his campaign for Ohio’s 12th Congressional District.
“By rejecting corporate PAC money, Danny is demonstrating to voters that his priority in Congress will be Ohio families, not special interests,” said ECU President Tiffany Muller. “He understands that corporate specials interests have far too much power in our democracy, and he’s taking a bold step to address the problem. We’re proud to support Danny and look forward to helping him win this special election.”
“Getting this influence out of our politics starts with getting corporate PAC money out of our campaigns and that has to start with campaigns like mine, all across the country,” said O’Connor. “That’s why I am proudly taking a pledge to reject money from corporate PACs in my campaign for U.S. Congress because no one should be able to pick up the phone and swing a vote just because they donated to a campaign.”
O’Connor joins a growing movement of candidates rejecting corporate PAC money throughout the country, and specifically in Ohio, where six strong Democratic House challengers in the state’s most competitive districts are turning down this money, including Aftab Pureval (OH-1), Ken Harbaugh (OH-7), Theresa Gasper (OH-10), Danny O’Connor (OH-12), Betsy Rader (OH-14), and Rick Neal (OH-15).
A recent poll commissioned by ECU and conducted by PPP, found O’Connor trailing Republican Troy Balderson by just two points, 43 to 45 percent. After voters heard a message highlighting O’Connor’s reform platform and Balderson’s ties to the corporate special interests, O’Connor gained a five-point lead over Balderson, 46 to 41 percent.
With a recent Gallup poll showing that 90% of Americans believe the government is working for the benefit of a few big interests, a robust reform agenda is critical to winning support from voters, particularly independents. Notably, ECU polling has found that 62% of voters believe that a candidate refusing corporate PAC money is a sign that the candidate is serious about reform.
End Citizens United is dedicated to getting Big Money out of politics and fixing the rigged system in Washington so it works for all Americans. It is working to elect members of Congress who will fight to overturn Citizens United and pass meaningful reforms. End Citizens United has over three million members, including over 4,300 in OH-12, and is entirely grassroots-funded with an average donation of just $14. ECU endorsed O’Connor in May.
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