Dear Friends,
During Elon Musk’s public breakup with President Trump, the billionaire posted online about the president’s “ingratitude,” laying bare a disturbing truth about our democracy: Megadonors believe their political contributions should come with strings attached. This is corruption, plain and simple, and to see it expressed so casually only affirms the fears that citizens have about the integrity of our government.
This year, with the deep concern of Americans about the issue at an all-time high, American Promise made the calculated decision to rapidly scale our work, expanding our “ready to ratify” campaigns from seven to 11 states. We resolved to compete in uncharted territory for us, engaging in some of the country’s most conservative legislatures. I am pleased to report that the decision — and your investment — has paid off. This has been an exceptionally consequential year, and we’ve made immense progress in just six months.
In February, Utah became the 23rd state to call on Congress to support our constitutional amendment solution to the corruption crisis. In an overwhelmingly Republican legislature, Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore and Rep. Jeff Moss led our resolution through committees with no dissent and cleared the floor with overwhelming majorities: 20-4-5 in the Senate and 63-9-3 in the House. Elsewhere, we continue to make major strides. Our resolution in Oklahoma was adopted by unanimous consent in the House, but failed to secure a place on the Senate calendar during a hectic final month; we expect it to be picked up in earnest next session. In Arizona, our resolution passed out of the Senate Federalism Committee by a 6-1 vote, we passed in the Wyoming Senate, we saw a bipartisan introduction in Minnesota, and a resolution was introduced in both chambers of the Texas Legislature — all firsts for American Promise. As we look ahead to the rest of the year, we expect to see progress in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
We’re capitalizing on this progress and sharing our vision with new supporters across the country. To expand our reach in this critical time, we have named Jenny Parker, a seasoned operative with experience at ABC News, TIME, National Constitution Center, and Conservation International, as our new chief communications officer. Her proven experience will be instrumental as we look to expand our communications footprint, reach new supporters, and integrate our communications and fundraising efforts.
This work and progress is possible because of you.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon.
Jeff Clements
As we continue through 2025, we continue to build on progress, momentum, and support that we are seeing across the country. The time has come for a drive to the finish line, and that will take capital.
In 2016, we launched our proof of concept phase, throughout which we raised $7 million, building the foundation for the organization’s rapid expansion of the second growth phase.
We deployed the successful $20 million second stage raise to expand our national infrastructure and build a high-skilled professional team. This period saw us hit 22 (now 23) “ready to ratify” states — states that have decided to back a constitutional amendment solution by taking action through legislation or ballot measures. We leveraged support in the states to expand and sustain congressional support to over 200 members, moving us closer to securing the necessary ⅔ majority needed in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate to send the amendment to the states for ratification.
This year, we launched the third capital raise to build on what works and expand to finish the job. Most Americans now support a constitutional solution, and our volunteers, investors, and supporters are setting the groundwork nationally for the weeks and months ahead.
To those of you who have made your American Promise investment decision for 2025 and have introduced us to your friends and networks, thank you! If you have not yet done so, and you would like to learn more or talk with our leadership team, please reach out to Chief Development Officer Liz Harvey ([email protected]). We would be grateful for the opportunity to connect with you about how you can make history with American Promise.
It is a challenging time in our country, but opportunity abounds. At American Promise, we are working to seize this moment to help fix our broken system. The issues that our country faces are so urgent, and we don’t have a moment to lose.
Every successful movement prioritizes work in the states. Building coalitions, engaging voters, strengthening legislative relationships; these are all necessary stepping stones to winning 2/3 vote in Congress and 3/4 of the state legislatures.
In early 2025, Utah became the 23rd state to urge Congress to support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that gives states the power to control their own elections. This victory highlighted our momentum in the states and the success of our cross-partisan strategies — and we’re just getting started.
We haven’t slowed down since the win in Utah. All across the country we are continuing to build support among voters, communities, and legislators. Take a look below at what our staff and volunteers have been working on recently in some of our key states:
We recently learned that our investment and work with the people and legislators in Wisconsin has led to the introduction of a resolution in both the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate that would make Wisconsin the 24th state to support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to restore states’ ability to control campaign finance laws and safeguard our elections.
We continue to build support in the Legislature thanks to our grassroots volunteer actions in Wisconsin. From writing letters to the editor and tabling at events to spread awareness of the issue of money in politics and the For Our Freedom Amendment as a solution, to working the text and phone banks to garner support and petition signatures, our volunteers have been hard at work to push us closer to victory. In a single text banking session, more than 100,000 texts were sent to Republican voters in the state, urging them to sign our petition and support the For Our Freedom Amendment.
And it’s not just our volunteers working to get the word out — following the recent $100 million Wisconsin Supreme Court election, CEO Jeff Clements joined the team in the state, participating in a radio interview in La Crosse, and presented with American Promise volunteer Judy Nagel and Wisconsin civic leaders at an event titled, “It’s Time to Address Financial Election Integrity in Wisconsin.”
We continue to increase our visibility and strengthen our relationships and support in the state as we look forward to a vote in both chambers soon.
Check out our Wisconsin Money in Politics Report to see more background on the issue there.
In Texas, our team and volunteers hosted a successful lobby day, where Texans had the opportunity to meet with offices of their state legislators and express why the For Our Freedom Amendment is important to them. Seventeen volunteers took part in the lobby day, attending 22 meetings and 15 office check-ins. With attendees from every generation, it was clear that all Texans are affected by unchecked political spending and are ready for a real solution. After building the groundwork this legislative session for the path forward in Texas, these conversations are more important than ever.
We are still continuing to build support and strengthen relationships in other key states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Wyoming. Multiple states saw promising legislative success earlier this year, and we are capitalizing on that momentum to expand our support in the states and come back even stronger next year.
In Arizona, we’ve collected over 600 signatures on an online petition in support of our amendment resolution, resulting in more than 1,000 emails to Arizona lawmakers urging them to support the resolution in 2026.
Following our promising passage of resolutions in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Wyoming Senate last quarter, we are feeling confident about continued progress in these states.
We are strengthening coalitions, spreading awareness, and having conversations with legislators in Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania as we continue full speed ahead with our work on the ground in these states.
Every small victory in the states is crucial to our strategy to build support nationally and make sure every American’s voice is heard. From lobby days to presentations at colleges and rotaries to the publishing of letters to the editor or resolutions being introduced, each piece is important as we work to achieve our goal of ¾ of the state legislatures ratifying the For Our Freedom Amendment.
This quarter, we were able to expand our team at the federal level, allowing us to more effectively connect with members of Congress. We are excited to welcome Bob Noziglia as American Promise’s new director of congressional affairs.
Bob joins American Promise after 15 years as an advocate and lobbyist on a wide range of public policy issues promoting transparency, accountability, and good governance.
In his role, Bob will spearhead our work in establishing and deepening American Promise’s cross-partisan support for the For Our Freedom Amendment in Congress.
Thanks to the expanded capacity of our federal team, we were able to meet in person with 30 Republican congressional offices so far this year, and we’ve completed outreach to all new members of the 119th Congress with information about our work and efforts toward a constitutional amendment.
In June, CEO Jeff Clements and Chief Program Officer and General Counsel Brian Boyle joined Bob in 16 meetings with congressional offices across the political spectrum, sharing details about our recent progress in the states. We found significant interest in our work, and will be following up as we advance toward the necessary ⅔ vote in Congress.
Building coalitions is key to our success; creating and partnering with interest networks such as young Americans and business leaders help ensure that a wide variety of voices are heard in our work and allow us to create connections and build support in different communities.
Thanks to investments from those in this leadership community, we are able to create a new role of director of partnerships & coalitions, which is focused on helping to grow our nationwide support for the For Our Freedom Amendment and working to organize key networks, such as young Americans and business professionals. We are thrilled to welcome Aliya Bhatia, former American Promise Advisory Council member, to the team in this role.
“I’m honored to be one of the newest team members at American Promise and to work with such an incredible movement,” said Aliya. “I come to American Promise by way of my time in business at the Boston Consulting Group and also after leading a national voter education nonprofit. I’m thrilled to bring those experiences to the urgent mission of passing the For Our Freedom Amendment.
“I look forward to working with each of you as we continue our cross-partisan momentum toward this amendment.”
American Promise staff attended and spoke at the American Democracy Summit, hosted by RepresentUs, in Phoenix, Arizona. This conference brings together leaders from reform organizations and activists from across the country. More than 500 people attended, providing a great opportunity to spread awareness of the For Our Freedom Amendment and talk with attendees about how they can get involved in our important work.
Conversations there highlighted the cross-partisan support we are seeing in Arizona and nationally.
“A few weeks ago, I visited Phoenix for the American Democracy Summit. While there, I learned that American Promise’s resolution in Arizona had earned joint accolades from both a Freedom Caucus member and also from one of the most progressive members of the Arizona Legislature.” – Aliya Bhatia, American Promise director of partnerships & coalitions
None of this progress would be possible without the investments of our generous donors like you. As we dive into our third and final phase in our path to enacting the For Our Freedom Amendment, we remain laser focused on winning the amendment by the end of the decade. This funding allows us to grow our team to more effectively work in the states and Congress, spread our message, and ensure our operations are running smoothly. It helps us expand our communications capacity, giving us more opportunities to focus on media outreach, developing diverse content such as videos and social media posts, and creating more visibility for our work.
Whether you support us with a generous contribution, host fundraising events in your homes, or create connections by introducing those in your networks to American Promise, your support is crucial to our success. Thank you for being a part of this fight with us.
We are also eager to introduce our development committee Board leaders, Leila Blodgett and Christian Nolen. Leila and Christian are incredibly valuable members of our Board of Directors and we are excited for them to continue to take our development strategy to the next level.
If you haven’t had a chance to make an investment in American Promise, please reach out to Chief Development Officer Liz Harvey ([email protected]) and we will be happy to have a conversation with you about how you can personally help us reach our fundraising goals and contribute to our important work to enact the For Our Freedom Amendment.
This summer, our American Promise Ambassadors — those who go above and beyond their donations by hosting events and introducing us to their networks — will be holding gatherings in Newport, Rhode Island; Nantucket, Massachusetts; and Martha’s Vineyard. If you have connections in these areas or want to host an event of your own, please contact Director of the Ambassador Program Carolina Hojaij ([email protected]).
Check out our prospectus and explainer video for more info on how your investment can help fuel this historic mission.
American Promise hosted a briefing recently on our latest progress and an incredible cross-partisan conversation. We heard from CEO Jeff Clements, Senior Advisor Jen Simon, Deputy Director of Programs and Campaigns Julia Brown, and Political Manager Matt Howerton. We were also grateful to be joined by Wyoming state Sen. Mike Gierau and Rep. Andrew Byron; their support has been integral to how American Promise is refining our state strategy for 2026 and beyond.
In case you missed it, we wanted to be sure you saw a few highlights from this powerful conversation. Jeff opened with an update on our growing state momentum, while Sen. Gierau spoke to the deeply bipartisan nature of this issue, and Rep. Byron shared how money in politics directly impacts lawmakers on the ground in Wyoming. Our Deputy Director of Programs and Campaigns Julia Brown summed up the conversation well by stressing that few issues have seen this level of success in a single year. I have also included a link to some noteworthy clips here in case you would like to dig in deeper.
“This is not a Republican issue. It’s not a Democratic issue. It is a total bipartisan issue.” – Sen. Mike Gierau
Thank you to all who were able to join us for this call, we look forward to sharing more and coming together for more important conversations in the weeks and months ahead.
Dale was introduced to American Promise after attending an event in 2024. Since then, she has been incredibly active in our Ambassador program, introducing those in her network to American Promise and sharing her passion for this important work. Dale lives in Carlisle, Massachusetts, with her husband Don.
I am retired. My husband and I both worked at Fidelity Investments where we met. I retired in 1997 and have been home since.
After I retired from Fidelity, while our children were young, I began volunteering in the community. I found a great deal of satisfaction with being at home and balancing our family life with being out in the community supporting our local library, schools, museum, hospital, and other local organizations. I volunteered in this way for about 20 years, and then about five years ago, I stepped back to think carefully about the causes and organizations I really wanted to invest in and be a part of. I still continue to volunteer, but it is now more targeted and more specific, things that I feel very intensely about — American Promise being one of them.
I’m naturally an optimistic, positive person. I feel extremely privileged in my life. We have so much and we are grateful for all that we have, where we live, and the community that supports us. But I feel intense concern about the future, specifically for our children who are in their late 20s. I worry about the future of the country and the world, both from a political standpoint and also concerning our environment and the climate. With the support and help of friends and my family, I am able to keep a relatively happy outlook on life, but there are times when I can, as my husband says, “go deep into a rabbit hole” and fret about future generations.
I just finished two books that I really enjoyed. One is called The Chancellor, which is an autobiography of Angela Merkel, former chancellor of Germany, which I found fascinating. I lived in Germany for three years when I was young and have always been interested in European politics. I have a great respect for how she navigated complicated situations in a diplomatic and positive way. I found the book well-written and fascinating. And I just read a book of fiction called House of Doors, which was one of the best books I have read recently. Our daughter and I are going to Asia in October, and this book, set in Penang, Malaysia, in the early years of the 20th century, gave me a lens into a part of the world I am not familiar with. I could not put it down, I just loved it!
The living person I admire most is President Zelensky, for many obvious reasons. I think his sense of patriotism, his will, his ability to lead his people, and his determination not to give in at all costs is a constant reminder to me that there are some fights, some causes, that must be confronted head-on. I have a lot of respect for him and for the people of Ukraine who I send prayers to.
As far as a historical figure, I would choose Frances Perkins, who was the first female secretary in a presidential Cabinet. She served under Franklin Roosevelt for his four terms as secretary of labor. She spent her entire life working for social and labor reform and she was instrumental in the work that Roosevelt spearheaded with the New Deal, the Works Program, and many other progressive efforts that improved the lives of everyday Americans. She made many personal sacrifices to focus on work and issues she truly believed in.
American Promise came into our lives at a pivotal moment. I was introduced to American Promise by way of Sue Ryan, a dear friend of mine, who invited me to an event held in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At the time, I was worried, feeling quite hopeless and anxious about the direction the country was taking. After having been introduced to American Promise, I felt as though I had found an organization that is truly doing good across party lines in ways that will benefit all Americans. I wanted to be a part of it and, in whatever way I could, make a difference. Gradually, I became less worried and anxious with the belief that this important work needs to be done. It was an amazing personal moment for me. I believe in American Promise. I believe we can make this happen in a reasonable time period. I believe that we can put reasonable limits on campaign spending so that all our voices will be heard. That is very empowering and positive and it has, in many ways, been life changing.
American Promise issued the following statement in response to the United States Supreme Court’s decision to grant certiorari to National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission, a case challenging limits on spending by national political parties in coordination with individual candidate campaigns.
With its decision today to grant certiorari in NRSC v FEC, the Supreme Court is once again positioning itself as the ultimate decider of campaign finance policy. While the legal question before the court in this case will be whether the Sixth Circuit erred in striking down a law that limits spending by political parties as a violation of the First Amendment, the real issue for the American people is: Who gets to decide how and when to regulate money in our elections; elected representatives or unelected judges?
In a series of decisions, the Supreme Court has made itself the final authority on campaign finance in America by repeatedly ruling that spending limits violate the First Amendment. The idea that the First Amendment prevents Congress and the states from regulating money in elections is a legal fiction — one invented by the court in the 1976 case Buckley v. Valeo. That interpretation finds no support in the Constitution’s text or the Founding-era understanding of free speech.
The answer to the public’s overwhelming concern about the role of money in politics isn’t to hand these questions over to an unelected judiciary and hope for the best. Instead, we need a new amendment to the U.S. Constitution — like the For Our Freedom Amendment — to make it clear that campaign finance policy belongs with the American people and their elected lawmakers, not appointed judges. Such an amendment wouldn’t mandate any particular regulations; it would simply return these decisions to the democratic process where they belong. Who would decide? We the people would.
The Supreme Court’s campaign finance rulings have created a system where the elite can now spend unlimited sums influencing elections while everyday Americans feel increasingly unheard and left behind. The For Our Freedom Amendment would restore questions about the role of money in politics back to elected lawmakers, and would trust the American people to govern ourselves. The Constitution belongs to We the People — not to nine justices determined to impose their policy preferences as constitutional commands.
In order to reach a wider audience and educate Americans about the problem of money in politics and the For Our Freedom Amendment as a solution, our volunteers spend time writing letters to the editor, which have been published in newspapers across the country. Here are a few recent ones:
Claire Gibbs in the Tyler Morning Telegraph: We must protect our elections from outside influence
Danette Tidwell in the Dallas Morning News: Back control of Big Money
Kim Ebinger in Greater Milwaukee Today: Wisconsin must support amendment regulating money in politics
A recent Politico article highlighted the need for restrictions on campaign spending at the state level following the New Jersey gubernatorial election. “New Jersey didn’t choose to have a campaign system like this,” said Jeff Clements, CEO of American Promise. “It was imposed by lawyers in the Supreme Court. It only gets worse until we fix the constitutional problem the court created.”
American Promise Chief Program Officer & General Counsel Brian Boyle spoke with The Commonwealth Beat about what American Promise is doing to set reasonable limits on campaign spending in Pennsylvania and beyond. Listen here.
American Promise Political Manager Matt Howerton recently joined The Chris Salcedo Show to discuss how the For Our Freedom Amendment is the only way to prevent foreign influence in our elections.
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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected]. Opportunities include everything from talking with neighbors and colleagues to writing letters to the editor and gathering pledges from elected officials.
© 2025 American Promise
