“Congratulations to Brendan Kelly for his victory in today’s primary. Brendan is a committed reformer who has built a career on prosecuting crime and fighting for justice. He knows that too many families in Southern Illinois are left behind because Washington is broken and politicians like Congressman Mike Bost are keeping the rigged system in place. BrendanKelly is running to change that. He’ll give a voice to Illinoisans who have been shut out of the system. We look forward to helping him win this election in November.”
A former State’s Attorney, Brendan Kelly has seen the influence that big money special interests, such as the pharmaceutical industry, wield over politics. He was the first State’s Attorney in Illinois to file a lawsuit against Big Pharma for deceiving patients and perpetuating the opioid epidemic. In an early campaign ad, he highlighted the role of the pharmaceutical industry’s campaign contributions to Congress and the need for reform. In Congress, Kelly will support bills such as the Democracy for All Amendment, the DISCLOSE Act, and the Get Foreign Money Out of Politics Act which would increase transparency and accountability in our elections.
Kelly is running against Congressman Mike Bost who has a history of siding with big money special interests over his constituents. In December, Bost earned a spot on ECU’s “Big Money 20” list — an effort targeting incumbent Republicans who represent the worst of Washington’s rigged system. After benefitting from over $470,000 from Paul Ryan’s Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC funded by secret money, Bost took anti-reform stances in Congress and opposed disclosure. Over the coming months, ECU will help educate voters on how Congressman Bost prioritizes the needs of special interests that fund his campaigns over the needs of his constituents.
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