American Promise is proud to announce another set of speakers for the National Citizen Leadership Conference, Oct. 19-21 in the D.C. metro. NCLC will bring together a cross-partisan group of citizens, politicians, thought leaders and organizations to work toward the common goal of passing the 28th Amendment to get big money out of politics.
American Promise’s third National Citizen Leadership Conference will feature some of the most prominent voices in the democracy reform movement. The recent introduction of the 28th Amendment in the Senate is another marker of the rapid support our movement is building in Congress. Congressional support is critical to pass an amendment by ⅔ of Congress and ¾ of states. At the NCLC, we’ll speak with former elected officials and democracy reform leaders, helping our movement gain the insights and strategies to effectively create strength and momentum in Congress.
The second four speakers in this rollout offer just those kinds of insights: MassVOTE Executive Director Cheryl Crawford; Take Back Our Republic President Francis Johnson; Fix It America Founder Steve Lipscomb; and former New Hampshire State Senator Jim Rubens. Read on to learn about each of these speakers and what inspires them to advocate for a stronger democracy and the 28th Amendment.
Cheryl Crawford, Executive Director of MassVOTE
Cheryl Crawford is the executive director of MassVOTE, a Boston-based organization that inspires active political participation and advocates for democracy reforms. The organization specifically focuses on empowering historically disenfranchised communities. Cheryl Crawford is a member of the American Promise Advisory Council and was selected by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey to sit on a citizen’s commission tasked with researching and advancing a 28th Amendment to address big money’s political influence.
“I am excited to join the dynamic team of democracy warriors American Promise has assembled,” Crawford said. “Agents of change coming together from across all aisles, fighting to get money out of politics and restore the power back to the people. We must win the 28th Amendment.”
Be Part of This Critical Movement! Register Now for the NCLC!
Francis Johnson, President of Take Back Our Republic
Francis Johnson is the president of Take Back Our Republic, a non-partisan organization that advocates for conservative solutions to campaign finance reform, including through the passage of a Constitutional amendment. Johnson is a political strategist who has worked for numerous Republican campaigns at the state and national levels.
“There’s a message that American Promise is giving, and there’s a message that Take Back is giving,” Johnson said. “We can bring the different groups together to work on the same issues.”
Watch Francis Johsnon speak about the need to bring new voices into the movement for a 28th Amendment at the 2016 National Citizen Leadership Conference:
Steve Lipscomb, Managing Director of Fix It America
Steve Lipscomb is the managing director of Fix It America, a cross-partisan organization advocating for the Fix It America Amendment, one of several 28th Amendment proposals. Lipscomb is also a member of the American Promise Advisory Council, the nation’s first cross-partisan advisory council advancing the 28th Amendment. Fix It America works with American Promise and other groups to help engage citizens in the movement for a Constitutional amendment to get big money out of politics.
“I’m honored to be part of an organization that we have successfully worked with in multiple states to move the 28th Amendment forward,” Lipscomb said. “American Promise is helping build a coalition that can actually get something done.”
Register to see Steve Lipscomb speak at the 2019 NCLC.
Jim Rubens, Former New Hampshire State Senator
Jim Rubens was a New Hampshire State Senator from 1994 to 1998. Rubens worked alongside American Promise and other organizations to advance the 28th Amendment in New Hampshire, making it the 20th state to call for the Constitutional amendment.
“Recent polling shows that voters believe ‘political corruption’ is our nation’s number one crisis … $120 million was spent on the New Hampshire Senate race,” Rubens said. “95% of that money was from out of state. This squashes democracy.”
