Campaign Finance Reform and Ethics

I am not taking any campaign contributions from corporate PACS or AIPAC.

Congress is broken. Far too much money is involved and regular, smart, and good people are discouraged from running. The current patchwork of laws and the Citizens United decision conspire to flood campaigns with millions of dollars that keep candidates constantly raising money instead of representing the people, and entrench members of Congress beholden to special interests, answering to billionaires and corporations instead of their constituents. The infusion of bottomless amounts of dark money coming from SuperPACs has directly contributed to destabilizing our democracy and the policymaking process.

I support public financing of campaigns. We need renewed urgency around the issue and a new generation of Congresspersons who are going to talk about the inherently exclusionary, classist, and unfair status quo that over-privileges those who have rich donor networks or are born into wealth and privilege. I don’t come into this race for Illinois’ 9th District with those advantages - they are advantages that most residents of our district don’t have. The current system needs a shakeup and I’d introduce legislation to build off existing public financing pilot programs.

I also strongly believe Members of Congress should not trade stocks. If even the appearance of insider knowledge can’t be avoided (and how could it ever be), then let’s ban it. The American people have record-low confidence in the integrity of our governing systems. This is a meaningful step that can be taken to restore some trust. Too many members are simply out of touch with their districts and don’t have to struggle to survive. That needs to change urgently. We must level the playing field.

I support stronger ethics laws for Members of Congress AND for the Administration. I would co-govern with constituents and good government groups to develop bill ideas to bring forward more ethics laws. In my first three months in Congress, I will introduce legislation to strengthen disclosures and ethics rules around Supreme Court Justices and senior White House officials.