Statement from American Promise CEO Jeff Clements:
“Today, Pew Research Center released its Americans’ Top Policy Priority for 2024: Strengthening the Economy report, which is yet another confirmation that Americans are deeply concerned about the influence of money in politics. Nearly two-thirds of Americans – 65% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans – conveyed that reducing the influence of money in politics should be a top priority for the president and Congress to address this year, second only to strengthening the economy and defending against terrorism.
“While Americans are divided on many issues, the desire to rein in money’s influence in elections unites us. On a national level, reducing money’s sway in politics is the third most important issue for Americans, an increase in intensity from last year’s polling. This change reflects a growing awareness of the need to safeguard American self-government from undue financial influence. Americans are angry at a broken politics and a government that doesn’t seem responsive to them, but the pay-to-play political system leaves candidates needing to fundraise 24/7, 365 days a year to get elected. Politicians spend more time taking phone calls from wealthy donors than from constituents. $16 billion will be spent just in this election cycle. That may be money well spent for a tiny group of wealthy elites and foreign actors, but voters are understandably pessimistic that they will benefit from that return on investment.
“Now more than ever am I confident in our pursuit of the For Our Freedom Amendment. Our amendment addresses what Americans collectively recognize as the most significant threat to our democracy: the unbridled influence of money and corruption in politics. Just consider what happened recently in Wyoming, where we saw a majority of legislators vote in favor of a constitutional amendment that would promote transparency in political spending.
“Reducing the influence of money in politics has garnered cross partisan support, but we can’t realize that goal without a constitutional amendment to override Supreme Court decisions like Citizens United v. FEC and Buckley v. Valeo.
“As we continue our mission, let us recognize that Americans across the political spectrum are united in their desire for a fair and transparent political system. The For Our Freedom Amendment represents a critical step toward achieving that goal. Candidates for office this election cycle should show voters that they understand their concerns about the toxic influence of political spending by pledging their support for the Amendment.”
