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Money in Politics

Exposing and fighting the outsized influence of big money in our political system.

Areas of focus

We need to know who is influencing our elected officials in order to hold them accountable.

That begins with a transparent campaign finance system. And we all have a right to know who is trying to sway our votes in elections. This principle has been upheld repeatedly by the Supreme Court and is at the heart of our political system.

Yet much of the information about who is attempting to influence voters and elected officials remains opaque, as dark money becomes a bigger and bigger part of elections. Meanwhile, anti-corruption laws go unenforced by a Federal Election Commission hopelessly mired in gridlock and unwilling to do its job as both parties embrace an ever-escalating political arms race.

This broken campaign finance system gives undue influence to lobbyists, special interests, and the wealthiest Americans, while the vast majority of ordinary citizens lack a seat at the table. That’s why we work to curb the growing influence of big money in politics and build a system that truly represents all Americans, not just the wealthy few.

We:

  • Produce hard-hitting original research and reports that are widely cited in the media on topics like dark money, leadership PACs, wealthy megadonors, and campaign spending
  • Spearhead crosspartisan coalitions to hold candidates and elected officials accountable
  • Work to fix the ailing Federal Election Commission

Our impact:

  • Led a years-long effort to bring more transparency to the campaign finance system by having Senate candidates file reports online instead of on paper, culminating in the passage of the 2018 Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act.
  • Led a crosspartisan coalition that urged all candidates in the 2020 presidential race to disclose information about their big-money campaign “bundlers,” fundraisers who are often rewarded with special perks and government positions, such as ambassadorships.

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