2.14.2018
Last month, I made it official - I’m running for re-election.
But it’s not worth doing unless I do it on my own terms. First and foremost, that means sticking with my pledge to not take a dime of PAC money. I’m the longest-serving PAC-free member of Congress in the country - this will be my fourth consecutive campaign where I say “no” to the PACs because I want to power my re-election with grassroots donors, not special interests.
Right now, the average member of Congress is leaning on PACs to the tune of $734,000 every two years. Meanwhile, my PAC receipts are $0.00 because I decided to chart a different path. I'm proud of that commitment, but it means I have to rely on individual donors to be the backbone of this campaign. Every dollar given by a grassroots donor shows the rest of the country that we can run and win campaigns without being tied to corporate PACs and special interests.
I like to say that small donor support is the "renewable energy" of campaign financing. That's the power source I want to win with, not the "fossil fuel" of corporate PACs. Let’s send the message that It's time for big money to stop polluting our democracy. I hope you’ll support my re-election campaign - I won't let you down.