Balderson cashes in $120,900 from corporate PACs, his opponent, O’Connor, rejects corporate PAC money
With two weeks until the special election in Ohio’s 12th Congressional district, the race is shaping up to be a battle between the grassroots and corporate special interests. While End Citizens United endorsed candidate Danny O’Connor is rejecting corporate PAC money, his opponent Troy Balderson has raked in $120,900 from corporate special interests.
“Ohio families deserve leadership that will stand up to special interests in Washington — not side with them. Balderson has cashed in on Washington’s rigged system and remains in the deep-pockets of his donors as a result,” said ECU President, Tiffany Muller. “Meanwhile Danny O’Connor is running a campaign powered by the people and he’s doing it without a dime from corporate PACs.”
ECU has been at the forefront of special elections and lent early support to reform candidates like O’Connor. In the Pennsylvania 18 special election, ECU was the first national group to endorse Conor Lamb, and worked with his campaign to build a grassroots network of small-dollar donors and volunteers, including raising $300,000 directly for Lamb.
ECU is dedicated to getting Big Money out of politics and fixing the rigged system in Washington so it works for all Americans. ECU connects its endorsed candidates with its grassroots members and its 400,000 small-dollar donors to help ensure they have the resources to win. So far this cycle, ECU has contributed $1 million to endorsed candidates and raised $5 million in small-dollar donations directly for their campaigns. ECU continues to elevate campaign finance reform as a national priority and advocates for meaningful legislation.
Americans’ concerns about money in politics is fueling a wave of candidates in this election that make money in politics a central issue in their campaigns. To date, ECU has identified over 140 candidates rejecting corporate PAC money, including five no corporate candidates running in Ohio’s most competitive districts: Aftab Pureval (OH-1), Ken Harbaugh (OH-7), Theresa Gasper (OH-10), Betsy Rader (OH-14), and Rick Neal (OH-15).
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