Dear Friends,
As we end the first quarter, I am pleased to provide an update on our national strategy and progress as we work to ratify the For Our Freedom Amendment. This month, we hit a major milestone as Utah became the 23rd state to support a constitutional amendment. This work would not have been possible without your support, and we expect to see this momentum continue this year.
This year, one thing is clear: The crisis of money in politics has never been more visible. The last election was a $20 billion boondoggle, financed largely by billionaires, global corporations, big unions and even foreign interests. The corruption is plain for all to see, and is one reason why 7 in 10 voters now consider money in politics a very big problem in our country — more than any other issue.
Almost 15 years ago, in the aftermath of the Citizens United decision, I traveled across the country, talking to voters in almost every state. It was clear that constitutional reform enjoyed broad, cross-partisan support among ordinary people — but politicians needed some time to get on board. At first, Democrats in Congress actively and vocally opposed the Citizens United decision, while Republicans were more supportive of the court’s decision. But the nation’s experience since then and our work in the states and Congress has changed the dynamic. The money-dominated system disadvantages both parties in equal measure, and we’re seeing newfound interest from conservative politicians around the country and in Congress. That’s how the tipping point to get to the finish line works.
Our path to victory runs through many states with Republican-controlled legislatures and Republican congressional delegations. (Many so-called blue and purple states are already on board.) The For Our Freedom Amendment will be won in places like Utah and Texas — among the dozen states that we’re prioritizing in 2025. American Promise succeeds because we support every American who wants to help — conservatives as well as liberals. Conservatives view this issue through a different lens than liberals, motivated to restore power to the states, prevent foreign interference in elections, and promote free-market competition. When we emphasize how our amendment would advance these priorities, we win new allies. That’s why we’ve seen amazing progress in this first quarter with Republican leaders taking action for the amendment in key states.
Our values, mission and strategy have not changed — quite the opposite. We’ve always been committed to serving all Americans in this effort. That’s how we’ll win the support of two-thirds of Congress and three-quarters of states, ratify the For Our Freedom Amendment, and get American freedom and democracy back on track.
As always, we’re grateful for your support.
In 2016, American Promise launched a three-phase plan to address the systemic danger of uncontrolled money in our political system by uniting Americans behind a successful amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The plan is working, and in 2025, American Promise is initiating the third and final phase to drive to passage and ratification the For Our Freedom Amendment.
We could not have gotten to this point without the passion, commitment and investment of those in this leadership community. In our first proof of concept phase, we raised $7 million, building the foundation for the organization’s rapid expansion of the second growth phase. To those who have been with us since the beginning, the importance of your support in this initial phase cannot be overstated.
In phase 2, American Promise completed a successful $20 million expansion of our national infrastructure and a high-skilled professional team to execute our work nationally and across 12 priority states in 2025.
With this capital, we moved 23 states into the “ready to ratify” column and earned the support of 260 members of Congress. Now, we are focused on triggering the “tipping point” that will secure the ⅔ majority in the House of Representatives and Senate required for ratification.
Demand for American Promise’s constitutional solution is soaring after the $20 billion 2024 election, and the visible domination in the post-election government of billionaires and global and even foreign-government funded corporations. Early indicators in the 12 states — including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Utah, Wyoming, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and more — and in the new Congress are encouraging.
The time is now to jump headfirst into the third and final phase. As we are seeing rapid changes in our government, it is clear now more than ever that the power needs to be with the people; the government should be serving constituents, not special interests and billionaires.
Phase 3 is already off to a momentous start, with a win in Utah and significant legislative progress in Arizona, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Texas. As we push forward into this final stretch, we want to reiterate our appreciation for your leadership, guidance, commitment, and investments in this work. It will take all of us to enact the For Our Freedom Amendment, and we have never been more confident that we will cross the finish line together.
Constitutional amendments are multi-year civic and educational endeavors, and the greatest civic lift that Americans do together. When we launched American Promise, we met with leaders in the campaigns for the Equal Rights Amendment, the successful 26th Amendment (voting rights for Americans over 18 years old), and the equal marriage campaign (a national constitutional endeavor that focused on the Supreme Court rather than an amendment). The lessons learned were consistent: prioritize work in the states. By building state-level coalitions, we exert upward pressure on federal lawmakers from those states, building awareness and support at both state and federal levels. Moreover, with local and state awareness and support, we can ensure rapid ratification in the states after passage by Congress.
American Promise has connected millions of Americans through petition gathering, education, and local and state resolutions with volunteers participating in farmers markets, state fairs, Rotary Clubs, local chambers of commerce and other civic groups.
Our increased presence across the country and our conversations with voters, organizations and community leaders are creating momentum in the states and driving progress toward our goal of winning ⅔ vote in Congress and ¾ of the state legislatures.
This year, we are focusing our work in 12 key states: Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming. In case you missed our leadership update call discussing recent progress and our strategy, you can view that conversation here. Below are some highlights of what we’ve accomplished this quarter:
Utah has now become the 23rd state to urge Congress to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that gives states the power to control their own elections. The resolution passed with resounding support in both the Utah House and Senate: 20-4 in the House and 63-9 in the Senate. These victories came after American Promise Senior Director of Programs & Campaigns Kaitlin LaCasse traveled to Utah to help garner support for the amendment, and Kalijah Robinson, president of the Weber State University chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, as well as the Sutherland Institute, a Utah-based think tank, provided testimony in favor of the resolution. This is a major milestone, and brings us one step closer to enacting the For Our Freedom Amendment. The energy and support surrounding the amendment is undeniable, and we are eager to carry this momentum into our other key states as we look to add to this growing list.
Arizona is seeing great momentum, as SCR 1012 passed in the Senate Federalism Committee and the Rules Committee with bipartisan support. This resolution, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Mark Finchem, supports a constitutional amendment that would provide states the ability to decide whether and how to regulate money in politics and protect their elections from foreign interference. While unfortunately, it does not appear that the resolution will receive a floor vote in Arizona this session, we have made tremendous progress and are well-positioned for next year. As we are seeing growth in support among Republican legislators in Arizona, we are not slowing down on strengthening our support in communities. We have 15 events already planned for 2025.
We are having exciting legislative success in Oklahoma! Our resolution calling on Congress to support the For Our Freedom Amendment was introduced in the Oklahoma House by Floor Leader Josh West. It passed unanimously, highlighting that Oklahomans are eager for a constitutional solution to unchecked money in politics. The resolution now moves onto the Senate, where we hope the Senate will join their colleagues in the House in support.
In June 2024, Pennsylvanians successfully rallied to lead to passage of a resolution in the state House of Representatives calling on Congress to pass the For Our Freedom Amendment. As we build momentum toward passage in the Senate, Pennsylvania is continuing to strengthen coalitions among groups and networks across the state, as well as having ongoing conversations with key senators. We are focusing on meetings with chambers of commerce and Rotary Clubs in order to bolster our Business and Civic Network and build support among business leaders. Our Young Americans Network is also flourishing in Pennsylvania, with recent college visits such as an event at Lehigh University. At this event, we met with the Student Political Action Coalition for a training on writing letters to legislators. By focusing events, meetings and trainings in our key states on specific interest networks such as business leaders and young Americans, we build support among a broader base, and ensure a variety of voices and experiences are heard and included in our work.
A recent University of Houston poll found that 90% of Texans view money in politics as a threat to democracy. This sentiment is being reflected in the legislature as well: A resolution in support of the For Our Freedom Amendment was recently introduced in the state House of Representatives and the Senate. We recognize that Texas will be key to our success, so we are investing time and resources now to mobilize and connect with communities and organizations in the state. In order to spread awareness of our work and the For Our Freedom Amendment, we have secured seven presentation opportunities to start 2025, including with the Golden Triangle Young Republicans and Dallas Star Republican Women. American Promise staff and volunteers also attended the Texas Policy Summit, where we had the opportunity to connect with legislators and further drive home the need for the For Our Freedom Amendment. Thanks to our efforts on the ground in Texas, our volunteer base there is more motivated than ever to demand that their government work for them, not for special interests and dark money groups. In April, an estimated 50 volunteers will take part in a lobby day where they will have the opportunity for their voices to be heard by their legislators.
While our resolution in Wyoming did not receive a floor vote in the House, we still saw more progress in Wyoming than we ever have before. Following a multi-year educational and civic e ort in Wyoming that included events in Laramie, Cody and Jackson; presentations at our National Citizen Leadership Conference; and engagement of thousands of Wyomingites through petition gathering by volunteers who branded themselves “Wyoming Promise;” among other activities, our resolution was passed in the Wyoming Senate. This echoes what Wyomingites want—by the end of 2024, our non-partisan polling showed three out of four Wyomingites supported the For Our Freedom Amendment. When state Sen. Ed Cooper introduced the resolution in January, he said that federalism is at the heart of this resolution, especially after the 2024 election saw an overwhelming flood of dark money from out-of-state sources. Despite our resolution not crossing the finish line this time, our outpouring of support in the state has us optimistic for the future of our work in Wyoming.
And the momentum doesn’t stop there. In other states such as Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, we are hard at work meeting with organizations and interest groups, presenting at colleges and universities, building support bases, and garnering legislative support. We aren’t satisfied with taking our foot off the gas after our progress in Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah this quarter; these states have set the tone for all we can accomplish in 2025, and we are grateful for your support as we push toward adding even more states to the 23 that have already called for the For Our Freedom Amendment.
As we look to connect with new members of Congress in order to maintain an active and effective role in Washington, D.C., we have been engaging in our new member education efforts. This allows us to build connections at the federal level and inform incoming members of the For Our Freedom Amendment early in their tenures, ensuring consistent broad bipartisan support in Congress. American Promise Chief Program Officer & General Counsel Brian Boyle was in D.C. this quarter to conduct these meetings, along with former American Promise Executive Director Bill Cortese. Following Bill’s time with American Promise, he worked for the Congressional Republican Caucus, and is now the senior vice president at Mercury, the government affairs team we are working with in D.C. Bill’s experience, knowledge and connections are key to building support among Republicans in Congress, and we are grateful to be working with him again.
American Promise staff traveled to the Conservative Political Action Conference where they had productive conversations about the work of American Promise and the need for the For Our Freedom Amendment with numerous conservative groups and candidates including Young Americans Foundation, the Madison Media Fund, and the Log Cabin Republicans. We look forward to strengthening support and momentum across the entire political spectrum throughout the year.
Resolutions that have already been introduced this year in Arizona, Utah and Wyoming include protection from foreign interference in elections as a major factor in their support of a constitutional solution. In 2023, we released a report on The Problem of Foreign Money in Politics. This report highlighted alarming statistics such as the $19.9 million spent in 2022 federal elections by PACs connected to foreign companies, and the $67 million spent by foreign entities on just one ballot election in Maine in 2021. In December 2024, we released an update to this report, showing that this problem is not going away on its own, and Americans are concerned about the consequences. This is an issue that affects voters on the entire political spectrum, and one that is driving cross-partisan support for the For Our Freedom Amendment. Most Americans agree on this issue, which highlights the need for a constitutional solution to the corruption that threatens our democracy.
As we enter into our third and final phase toward passage an ratification, we also begin a $100 million campaign to fund our efforts toward the finish line. The support of this entire leadership community is the driving factor in our ability to achieve so much progress.
We want to give a special thank you to our American Promise Ambassadors who have been hosting events, speaking with their networks and making introductions in order to broaden the community of investors committed to the work of American Promise.
This quarter, our Ambassadors hosted events in Massachusetts, Florida and Wyoming, building support for the For Our Freedom Amendment among their peers across the country, while Jeff and the development team have been traveling to San Francisco, Dallas, New York City, Los Angeles, Connecticut and more to meet with current and potential supporters.
January 10, 2025, marked the 15th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. OpenSecrets recently published an analysis on how this ruling has affected campaign spending in the 15 years since, spotlighting the need for a solution. Check out what they found here.
Citizens United isn’t the only landmark Supreme Court decision affecting our electoral system today. This quarter also saw the 49th anniversary of Buckley v. Valeo, the Supreme Court’s first major case about money in politics. Read more about this case and its lasting impact on our democracy here.
American Promise CEO Jeff Clements recently sat down with the Sutherland Institute in Utah to discuss how the For Our Freedom Amendment is a necessary approach to combating dark money in our elections. Listen to that conversation here.
As our momentum takes off and our progress continues, we are seeing growing press coverage of our work. Stay up to date with all of our recent press coverage here.
Be sure to subscribe to our biweekly Campaign Finance Roundup to stay up to date on all the biggest stories regarding money in politics.
If you haven’t done so, contact Liz Harvey at lizh@americanpromise.net to learn how you can make a commitment to invest in American Promise’s growth and expansion in new states and in Washington. It’s an all-hands-on-deck opportunity to make history in the next few years!
Contact our Director of Ambassador Program Carolina Hojaij at carolinah@americanpromise.net to learn how you can become an American Promise Ambassador. Our Ambassadors are funders and allies dedicated to expanding our network and introducing others to the American Promise movement.
Join our grassroots volunteers by contacting Director of Mobilization Mike Monetta at mikem@americanpromise.net. Opportunities include everything from talking with neighbors and colleagues to writing letters to the editor and gathering pledges from elected officials.
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