Holding, a “Big Money 20” target, has broken his promise about rejecting special interest money
Holding has taken over $2 million from corporate PACs over the course of his career
Rep. George Holding (NC-02) can’t get enough of corporate special interests. In the second quarter of 2019, the North Carolina congressman took more than $120,000 from corporate PACs alone, accounting for one-third of his total contributions. Holding also received $3,500 from pharma PACs and $8,000 from health insurance company PACs, including $2,500 from AmerisourceBergen, a drug distributor that has been at the center of several opioid-related lawsuits. To top it off, Holding collected $20,500 from financial company PACs and more than $27,000 from registered federal lobbyists this quarter.
“George Holding used to say special interests were ‘one of the most corrupting influences in Washington’ but now that he’s been in Congress, his own reports show that he keeps big pharma close and corporate special interests closer,” said End Citizens United Deputy Communications Director Bawadden Sayed. “North Carolinians deserve a representative who will keep their word and fight for the people of their district instead of drug companies and big corporations.”
When Rep. Holding kicked off his political career in 2012, he promised voters of North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District that he would never take special interest money: “And that’s one of the reasons why I got into this campaign, I said I’m not going to take any money from special-interest PACs, because I think that is one of the most corrupting influences in Washington.” Three months later, Holding broke this promise and accepted a corporate PAC contribution––and he hasn’t stopped since.
End Citizens United (ECU) named Holding to its list of “Big Money 20” targets for the 2020 cycle. The Big Money 20 aims to educate voters about incumbents who represent the worst of Washington and rally support for reforming the political system. The members of the Big Money 20 are incumbents who take money from corporate special interests, mega-donors, and industries like Big Pharma and Big Oil and then put those interests ahead of their constituents.
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