Good stuff from the Abigail Spanberger for Congress (VA-07) campaign.
Spanberger Leads the Call on Congress to Prioritize Good Governance Reform in 2019
HENRICO, VA — Today, Abigail Spanberger, Democratic candidate for Congress in Virginia’s 7th District, led a coalition of over 100 House challengers who are calling on Congress to make a good governance and campaign finance reform bill the priority agenda item for the next Congress in 2019. In a letter to the House of Representatives, coordinated by Spanberger and 11 other House candidates, they write:
Restoring faith in our elections and in the integrity of our elected officials should be a top priority that all members of Congress can agree upon. Without these reforms we will be unable to truly regain the public’s trust or tackle the challenges of our day, like the costs of healthcare and prescription drugs, the opioid epidemic, or building an economy that is strong for working families.
For those reasons, these reforms must be sweeping, and they must be bold. They must be the very first item Congress addresses. We must not yield on this demand, the American public is counting on us.
Key elements of the bill would include: reforming the role of money in politics to ensure more transparency and accountability in our elections, eliminating foreign money from our political system, limit the undue influence of mega donors and special interests, and incentivize small dollar donors; as well as lobbying reform, ethics reform, redistricting reform, and voting rights protections.
“Voters must know that their elected representatives are focused on serving them, not special interests, not themselves, not anyone, but the voters,” said Spanberger. “I believe that it is the responsibility of candidates and Members of Congress to hold themselves to the highest standards of ethical behavior and accountability, and commit to strengthening our system with reforms that will restore trust, and give voters a stronger voice.”
In addition to Spanberger, other candidates from Virginia including Leslie Cockburn, Elaine Luria, and Jennifer Wexton also signed the reform letter. The letter was coordinated in part by End Citizens United, a grassroots campaign finance reform group. The group has endorsed Spanberger.
“The American people know that Washington isn’t working for them. They want candidates who will unrig the system and put the people ahead of mega donors and special interests,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “Spanberger and the rest of the candidates on this letter are serious about reform. They’re sending a strong message to Washington, that when they’re elected, things will be different. End Citizens United is proud to have endorsed Spanberger, and we look forward to working with her to help pass meaningful reforms that clear the way for Congress to do the people’s business.”
The group’s letter comes amid a series of high-profile scandals that are shining light on the culture of corruption in Washington and exacerbating voter cynicism at a time when faith in government is already at a historic low. A bipartisan poll conducted by the George W. Bush Institute, the University of Pennsylvania’s Biden Center, and Freedom House shows that money in politics is one of the top reasons people believe the government does not represent them.
In her campaign, Spanberger has been running on a platform of reform including:
- Hold regular town halls
- Release a public schedule
- Support No Budget, No Pay Act
- Stop the abuse of taxpayer-funded mail
- Forgo corporate PAC money in her campaign
- Require transparency on social media ads
- Strengthen disclosure of outside political spending
- Support a Constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United
- End gerrymandering
- Advocate for automatic voter registration at age 18
You can read the full text of the letter here.
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