Issue One in the news: December 2021 media mentions recap

Among our most notable press mentions in December, two members of the National Council on Election Integrity — former Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN), a co-chair of the ReFormers Caucus, and former Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R-KY) — were featured by The New York Times in a story about efforts to reform the Electoral Count Act (ECA). “We know that we came precariously close to a constitutional crisis [on January 6], because of the confusion in many people’s minds that was obviously planted by the former president as to what the Congress’s role actually was,” Rep. Wamp said. The quotes were also picked up by MSNBC’s Maddow Blog, Daily Kos, Just the News, and Bipartisan Report.

Rep. Wamp was also quoted by Talking Points Memo after speaking with the outlet last month, following a National Review column by Republican election lawyer Ben Ginsberg advocating for ECA reform.

Our recent ECA-related poll, which showed strong bipartisan support for key reforms, was also cited by AEI’s Kevin Kosar in an op-ed published in The Hill.

Founder and CEO Nick Penniman also penned an op-ed published by The Fulcrum outlining the six things we must do to save our democracy and protect our elections in 2022, arguing that the “campaign to sow doubt in our elections and create distrust in our institutions is extremely motivated, and bad actors are gaining ground across the country… If we want to save our democracy, we must act now.”

As President Joe Biden hosted a Democracy Summit at the White House, former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), an Issue One board member and member of the ReFormers Caucus and National Council on Election Integrity, was interviewed by the Boston Globe about the challenges our own democracy is facing: “Many in the Republican Party have been complicit in promoting or excusing the Big Lie. On this issue, silence or neutrality is not enough,” Curbelo said.

Research Director Michael Beckel spoke with ABC News for an article about the increasing number of super PACs that are registering under obscure initials and acronyms instead of actual names, making it difficult for the public to figure out who’s behind them and what their objectives are. “When super PACs name themselves using simply an assortment of letters and numbers, it’s harder for people to understand the super PAC’s ideological leanings without additional digging,” Beckel said. He was also quoted by Roll Call discussing congressional retirements and what politicians can and can’t do with their leftover campaign cash and leadership PAC cash.

Our ReFormers Caucus letter praising the bipartisan House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, signed by 51 former members of Congress, was covered exclusively by Politico Huddle and also picked up by Newsweek. “As former members, we know firsthand how essential bipartisan cooperation is for the preservation of our republic and our shared values, and we strongly commend the contributions of Republican members Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger,” the letter states. “We sincerely hope other Republicans will join efforts to pursue the truth and facts surrounding the events of January 6.”

Former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA), a member of the ReFormers Caucus and National Council on Election Integrity, spoke with SiriusXM host Laura Coates about the ongoing January 6 investigation, and “Swamp Stories” host Weston Wamp also joined the SiriusXM program to talk about his new “Truthtellers” series that sets the record straight about the 2020 election.

Additional press included a CNBC article on Sen. Joe Manchin’s leadership PAC fundraising which cites our leadership PAC report, a Detroit News story quoting Michael Beckel about a nonprofit group associated with Michigan State Senate GOP Leader Mike Shirkey that raised nearly $1 million from anonymous donors, and a Sludge piece citing our support for the TRUST Act, which would require members of Congress and their spouses to put corporate securities in a qualified blind trust while in office.

Last but not least, The Hill included our very own Legislative Director Elise Wirkus on their annual list of top grassroots lobbyists!