Torres Small, who faces a competitive re-election, refuses corporate PAC money
End Citizens United (ECU) today endorsed Rep. Xochitl Torres Small for re-election as part of its first round of endorsements for the 2020 election cycle. Rep. Torres Small ran on a platform of reform in 2018, and showed leadership in the passage of the For the People Act (H.R.1).
Torres Small, who faces a competitive re-election, has pledged to voters that she will not take corporate PAC money. ECU is committed to ensuring Torres Small and this first group of candidates have the resources to win. ECU is endorsing 26 House freshmen who were leaders on reform, and will raise and spend a combined $10 million in small-dollar, grassroots donations to re-elect these members.
“Rep. Torres Small is already changing the way Washington works. She’s committed to unrigging the political system and making government responsive to New Mexicans — not corporate donors with big checks,” said ECU President Tiffany Muller. “Even though she’s only been in office for a few months, she’s already delivering on promises by passing the most comprehensive anti-corruption and reform legislation in a generation. Rep. Torres Small’s commitment to reform and families in the district will make her a top target of mega-donors and special interests trying to protect the status quo in Washington, but we have her back. ECU is proud to endorse Rep. Torres Small and we’re committed to ensuring she’s re-elected.”
The early endorsement will allow ECU to connect Torres Small’s campaign with its 6,400 members in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District and activate its 530,000 grassroots donors to help ensure she has the resources to win. ECU raised and spent $44 million in the 2018 election cycle. Its $14.2 million independent expenditure made it the fifth largest issue group spending on the Democratic side, and the only one to be entirely grassroots-funded of the top five spenders. ECU’s members raised $9 million directly for endorsed candidates and state ballot measures. The group also donated nearly $2 million directly to its endorsed campaigns.
ECU is dedicated to getting Big Money out of politics and fixing the rigged system in Washington so it works for all Americans. The group played a pivotal role in helping to pass the For the People Act, a once-in-a-generation anti-corruption and reform bill. ECU also led the movement among candidates to forgo corporate PAC money in their campaigns. Fifty-three members of the 116th Congress are refusing to take corporate PAC money, including 36 new members. The reform group has four million members nationwide, including 6,400 in NM-02, and is entirely grassroots-funded with an average donation of just $14.
# # #