Last week, End Citizens United (ECU) rolled out the first round of “Big Money 20,” a list of our top targets to defeat in 2020.
These incumbent Republicans represent the worst of Washington and embody everything that the American people despise about politics. They give tax breaks to their big donors, use their power to line their own pockets, take extravagant vacations on their donors’ dime, and even dip into their campaign coffers when they need some extra cash to finance extramarital affairs—or to buy a $600 plane ticket for their pet rabbit. These members of Congress are corrupt—some of them might even be facing jail time for it—and above all, they consistently put their special interests donors above the needs of the people they took an oath to represent.
The full list of first-round Big Money 20 incumbents includes: Martha McSally (AZ-SEN), David Schweikert (AZ-06), Duncan Hunter (CA-50), Ross Spano (FL-15), Joni Ernst (IA-SEN), Rodney Davis (IL-13), Mitch McConnell (KY-SEN), Susan Collins (ME-SEN), George Holding (NC-02), Chris Collins (NY-27), John Cornyn (TX-SEN), and Will Hurd (TX-23).
Of the 12 Big Money 20 targets, four are currently or have previously been under investigation for corruption-related charges.
These incumbents have voted against their states and districts time and again, selling out their constituents in favor of their corporate special interest donors. These politicians protect a rigged political system that gives wealthy donors and special interests a megaphone while leaving everyday Americans without a voice.
The 12 Republican incumbents on the Big Money 20 list have taken millions of dollars in corporate PAC contributions and voted for the Republican tax plan that gives billions in tax cuts to corporations and the wealthiest Americans. It was payback for the donors who reliably fill their campaign coffers. Who pays the price for this blatant corruption? Working Americans. They will suffer from the largest cuts in history to Medicare and other programs they depend on.
All but one Republican in the first round of the Big Money 20 list cast their vote for legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act. By doing so, they supported a bill that would drive up the cost of healthcare by slashing protections for people with preexisting conditions and imposing an “age tax,” where insurance companies could charge older Americans more than younger people. The Republican plan would be disastrous for the American people but it would be a windfall for giant health insurance and pharmaceutical corporations. For the Big Money 20, rewarding their corporate donors was far more important than fighting for people with preexisting conditions and struggling to afford prescription drugs.
The Big Money 20 have stopped serving the people who sent them to Congress to be their voice and representative. It’s time for them to go.
In the 2018 cycle, End Citizens United spent $10 million dollars to help retire or defeat 82% of the Big Money 20 targets. In the 2020 cycle, we’re going to expose the records of these corrupt politicians who have enabled and protected Washington’s rigged political system. We are ready to mobilize our 4 million grassroots members to defeat the Big Money 20 and take our democracy back from the grips of corporate special interests.
Click here for more information on the Big Money 20.