End Citizens United (ECU), a grassroots campaign finance reform organization, today inducted Senator Ted Cruz to its inaugural list of ‘Most Corrupt’ politicians running for reelection. The initiative is aimed at exposing and defeating the most egregious perpetrators of corruption in Washington.
“Senator Cruz epitomizes everything that is wrong with Congress,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “He shamelessly abuses his position of power for personal gain, effectively putting a price tag on elected office. Cruz has exhibited a disturbing and consistent pattern of prioritizing his own interests and the interests of his big donors over the needs of his constituents. We’re going to hold him accountable by exposing his abysmal record and engaging with voters through Election Day to make sure they know just how corrupt he is.”
Cruz is spearheading the movement on Capitol Hill to eliminate anti-corruption laws and actively fights for the proliferation of money in politics. He introduced a bill that would end campaign finance contribution limits, allowing billionaires to donate unlimited money directly to a candidate’s campaign. Cruz personally opened a loophole in our campaign finance system, going out of his way to make sure that self-funding multimillionaire candidates can pocket cash from donors, which some are now doing. Cruz even wrote an op-ed in defense of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. At the same time, Cruz has opposed every effort to rein in big money in politics, voting against bills like the Freedom to Vote Act and the DISCLOSE Act.
Cruz has been under intense scrutiny regarding his podcast deal with iHeartMedia. Through the scheme, Cruz illegally funneled $630,000 to a super PAC that’s supporting his reelection efforts, violating federal law, and raising serious tax law questions. ECU and Campaign Legal Center subsequently filed an FEC complaint to hold Cruz accountable.
Over the course of his career, Cruz has championed a corporate agenda that has hurt Texas families. He led a government shutdown in order to kill the Affordable Care Act, and had he succeeded in his efforts, millions of Americans would have been stripped of health insurance while protections for Texans with preexisting conditions would have ended. Cruz even filibustered a bill that sought to lower the price of life-saving drugs, and specifically voted against reducing the price of insulin. He has opposed investments in renewable energy and funding to modernize the electric grid.
ECU will highlight Cruz’s record of corruption and will work to engage voters and the media between now and Election Day, including in a new digital video released today.
ECU 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 4 million members nationwide.
###