I’ve spent my career holding people accountable. As a prosecutor, that meant standing up for victims and making sure the rules applied to everyone.
But I do not believe the rules are being applied equally anymore. The people with the most money and influence are calling the shots, and they are playing by an entirely different set of rules.
That’s why I’m honored to be endorsed by End Citizens United. This endorsement matters to me because ECU stands for a principle I believe in deeply: our government belongs to the people, not corporations or billionaires.
End Citizens United knows that I’m the best candidate who will fight to restore accountability in a system where money too often speaks louder than voters.
In Washington DC, money has become a megaphone. The more you have, the louder you are. And for everyday people, the ones working, raising families, caring for loved ones, and trying to build a stable life, it can feel like no one is listening.
That is not how this system is supposed to work, and I refuse to accept it as normal.
What I Will Do—Part 1!
For me, this comes down to a few basic principles. Public service needs to be about serving the people—not getting rich or cashing in later, and not answering to corporations instead of the people who elected you to public office.
Here’s what that means for me:
I support banning members of Congress and their spouses/dependent children from trading individual stocks.
The people who are making decisions that can move markets shouldn’t be personally profiting from those same markets.
I support a lifetime ban on members of Congress becoming lobbyists.
Public office should not be a stepping stone to cashing in with the same interests you once regulated.
I will never take money from corporate PACs.
I want to be accountable to the people I represent, not corporations writing checks behind the scenes.
I support overturning Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.
I’ve talked about banning stock trading and not taking corporate PAC money before. Today, to celebrate the endorsement (and to re-engage some of my prosecutor’s nitty-gritty detail-oriented mindset), I’d like to get in the weeds about the Citizens United decision and how it is impacting our country.
So if you’re here just to see the endorsement - thank you! If you want to delve deeper into the law, continue on!
What Citizens United Changed
Before 2010, there were limits on how corporations and outside groups could spend money in elections. But in Citizens United, the Supreme Court struck down key restrictions from the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, opening the door for unlimited independent political spending by corporations and unions. Then, a subsequent decision, SpeechNow v. Federal Elected Commission, built on that ruling by allowing unlimited contributions to groups that make independent expenditures.
Together, these decisions fundamentally changed American elections. They led to the rise of super PACs that can spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections, often without voters ever knowing who is really behind the spending.
To put this in perspective, let’s look at spending over the last 20 years. During the 2008 election cycle, outside spending totaled about $574 million. Then, the Citizens United and Speech Now decisions were handed down in 2010. By 2012, spending in the election cycle doubled to $1.3 billion. By 2020, it reached $3.3 billion, and it approached $4.5 billion in 2024.
Most of that money came from a small number of wealthy donors with powerful interests. In fact, recent reporting by The New York Times found that in 2024, just 300 billionaires and their families accounted for roughly 19% of all contributions in federal elections, totaling more than 3 billion dollars. Before Citizens United, billionaire spending made up just 0.3% of federal campaign spending.
The Impact of Dark Money
Not all political spending is transparent. Politically active nonprofit organizations, known as 501(c)(4) groups, are not required to disclose their donors, and they can contribute unlimited sums to super PACs.
This is what creates so-called dark money, where the original source of political spending is hidden from voters.
Even when super PACs disclose their donors, those donors can include organizations that do not disclose their own funding sources. This means that voters often cannot see who is really behind that political spending.
Why This Matters
One obvious issue is that billionaires are buying races. But there’s another big issue here: grassroots candidates like me, who are actually from the community they are trying to represent and who are trying to listen to voters and fight for working families are forced to figure out how to compete with these billionaires. As an example—we have had 11,000 contributions so far in this race and our average contribution is below $100.
Because of this, running for office means spending most of the time fundraising, often calling donors while sitting in a closed-off room, and asking for support because you believe deeply in the mission.
I want to be clear: I am not complaining about this work. I chose this path, and I believe this fight is worth it. I also recognize that I am very blessed to be able to run, with an amazing husband and village supporting me every step of the way.
But I also see how corrosive this system is. Barring major reform, elections are only going to become more expensive and less transparent.
What I Will Do—Part 2!
Democracy Requires Real Reform. Ending Citizens United will not fix everything, but it is a necessary step toward restoring balance and integrity to our democracy.
I support a constitutional amendment, such as the For Our Freedom Amendment, to allow reasonable limits on political spending and restore the ability of Congress and states to regulate campaign finance.
Over the past several years, we have also seen recent Supreme Court decisions weaken long-standing protections that ensure every eligible voter has an equal voice. We are seeing states redistricted to fit partisan desires at the President’s whim.
Federal action is becoming more urgent every day.
I will support passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act, after years of court decisions that have weakened protections against discrimination and voter suppression.
I will also support the Freedom to Vote Act, which would both protect access to the ballot and strengthen campaign finance transparency and accountability, including reforms aimed at reducing the influence of dark money in our elections.
All of these issues are deeply connected. When voting rights are weakened and money in politics is unlimited, power shifts away from us and toward those with the most money and influence. We cannot and will not accept a system where access to voting is restricted while access to political influence can be purchased.
Join Us
I am running for Congress because I believe in accountability, fairness, and the idea that public service should truly mean something. I will take action so that we can have a government that is transparent, accountable, and focused on the public good.
I believe in America, and that America’s institutional framework is capable of safeguarding our democracy if we take action. Americans have faced times where constitutional change was necessary to move the country forward, from expanding suffrage, to strengthening civil rights and ensuring equal protection under the law.
Today, we are facing another one of those times. Either we roll over and accept a system where political power is increasingly bought by wealth and influence, or we fight back and demand a democracy where every vote counts and every voice matters equally.
If you believe in that too, I hope you will join us. Share this, get involved, or chip in if you are able.
Because this fight, for a government that works for people, involves all of us. We need everyone to get off the bench and do their part!
States are taking the lead on undoing Citizens United. Hawaii passed legislation prohibiting corporate involvement in elections (aka, the "Montana Plan"). Now that legislation is pending in Michigan. In Congress, you can support their efforts through federal legislation that defines that "money is not speech" and that "only humans are people".
You have my vote. I wish I'd have known your stance on money in politics early though I would have volunteered : ( hoping for the best.