News

Fred Wertheimer: Democracy 21 Praises Campaign Finance Reform Plan Issued by Clinton

  Democracy 21 applauds the very important and valuable campaign finance reform policy plan former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued today. The plan contains essential elements to repair our corrupt campaign finance system and to restore the integrity of our elections. On July 23, 2015, Democracy 21 and eleven other reform organizations sent a […]

Fred Wertheimer for Huffington Post: “Donald Trump and Campaign Finance Reform”

Some have recently commented that Donald Trump is the best thing that has happened to the campaign finance reform movement in years. I disagree. Donald Trump has made clear he has been a heavy user and beneficiary of the currently broken campaign finance system. During the August 6th Republican debate, Trump correctly described the problems […]

Fred Wertheimer statement: FEC Reports Confirm Billionaires and Millionaires Playing Dominant Role in Presidential Campaigns

The FEC reports filed by individual-candidate Super PACs confirm that billionaires and millionaires have become the dominant players in financing the 2016 presidential campaigns. The FEC reports also reveal that individual-candidate Super PACs are in the process of replacing candidate committees in the financing of the 2016 presidential campaigns. As of June 30, individual-candidate Super […]

Fred Wertheimer: “The Perversion of the American Presidency”

The Huffington Post The Perversion of the American Presidency By: Fred Wertheimer July 28, 2015 Children long have been taught by their parents that anyone in America can grow up to be president. Today that message needs to be revised: anyone can grow up to be president if they are willing to circumvent and break […]

Democracy 21 Joins with Reform Groups in Releasing Reform Agenda for 2016 Candidates

Today, Democracy 21 joined with eleven other reform groups in releasing “Fighting Big Money, Empowering People: A 21st Century Democracy Agenda.” The Agenda sets forth a comprehensive policy agenda developed by the groups to advance reforms that are vital to addressing fundamental problems in our political system. The Agenda is based on the concept that the […]

Reform Groups Urge Senators to Strike McConnell Campaign Finance Rider

In a letter sent today, reform groups strongly urged members of the Senate Appropriations Committee to oppose a McConnell rider inserted into the Senate Financial Services Appropriations bill. The McConnell rider would seriously undermine longstanding campaign finance provisions that limit spending by parties coordinated with candidates. The groups included the Brennan Center for Justice, Campaign Legal […]

Reform Groups Urge Senators to Co-sponsor and Support Leahy Bill, the Stop Super PAC-Candidate Coordination Act

In a letter sent today to Senators, reform groups strongly urged members of the Senate to support AND CO-SPONSOR the Stop Super PAC-Candidate Coordination Act introduced today by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), which would essentially shut down individual-candidate Super PACs. Similar legislation (H.R. 425) has been introduced in the House by Representatives David Price (D-NC) and […]

Watchdog Groups Send More Information to DOJ to Support Request for Investigation of Bush Super PAC Scheme

In a letter sent today to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Democracy 21, joined by the Campaign Legal Center, cited the recent formal appointment of Mike Murphy to head the Rise to Rise Super PAC as further evidence of the need for a Justice Department investigation into the Bush Super PAC scheme.  The two groups previously […]

Democracy 21 Urges Senator Wyden to Help Block Efforts to Prevent the IRS From Acting on New 501(c)(4) Regulations

Enclosed for your information is a letter sent by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer to Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), ranking Democratic member on the Senate Finance Committee. Today in the markup for the Senate Finance Committee that begins at 11 a.m., Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) are expected to offer an amendment […]

House Members Urge Obama to Veto Bill if Campaign Finance Riders Not Removed

Today, 47 members of the House of Representatives signed and sent a letter to President Obama urging the President to block campaign finance riders that have been placed in the House Financial Services Appropriations bill. The letter organized by Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) states that the bill would prevent the Executive Branch from issuing […]