I constantly hear from voters “Why does it matter who I vote for? Both parties are corrupt.” Dark outside money, and political corruption, are why we continue to see our national spending increase. Tax dollars are meant to go towards funding public projects domestically that end up in the hands of the billionaire campaign donors.
A survey of registered voters from May of 2024, reported that only 26% were satisfied with the condition of U.S. Democracy. A 2022 poll showed 70% of voters supported banning politicians from trading individual stocks.
In 2010, the landmark Supreme Court Case ruled in support of Citizens United as they battled the FEC to allow unlimited spending by super PACS. In 2012, we passed the STOCK Act to combat political insider trading. In 2023, 78 members of Congress violated this law. The punishment for violating the STOCK Act is a fine of $200, which Congress Ethics officials typically waive.
During the 2016 election, there was probable evidence from a bipartisan committee that showed Russia’s interference. Today, AIPAC a lobbyist group that acts on behalf of a foreign country, and has refused to register as a foreign lobbyist since the days of JFK, has vowed to spend $100M in our 2024 elections.
Hillary Scholten received over 80% of her $3.8M campaign contributions from out-of-district supporters per her FEC campaign finance filings. Hillary has also been the recipient of over $200,000 from pro-Israel interest groups. My Republican opponent Paul Hudson has his billionaire brother funding a super PAC for his campaign efforts. The other Republican candidate Michael Markey was removed from the 2022 Republican Gubernatorial ballot for submitting fraudulent signatures.
I will be the ONLY candidate in my race who has not received money from corporate, or billionaire, interests. I will continue to not accept any corporate PAC or super PAC money during this race. This is something my opponents will not promise you. I support banning politicians from trading individual stocks. To show my commitment, I have sold off all of my stocks. I maintain a retirement fund managed by an advisor with Edward Jones. Again, this is something that none of my Republican and Democratic opponents will commit to.
It is time we elect someone who will serve the people of our district and not their campaign donors. We need a Representative that can speak freely, and vote on issues that will better our country instead of their political donors.
In summary, I would:
Support banning PACs and Super PACs from contributing to political campaigns
Support banning politicians, and family members, from trading individual stocks
Support a 5 year ban for politicians from working for a lobbyist firm