Last updated on Oct. 4, 2019.
As we head enter the 2020 presidential election season, more people are talking about Big Money’s grip on U.S. elections than ever. Polls show that an overwhelming majority of Americans believe there should be limits on the amount of money individuals and groups can spend on campaigns. And during the 2018 cycle, dozens of Democratic candidates for Congress rejected contributions from corporate PACs, a strategy that voters liked.
As we enter the 2020 presidential race, Sludge is tracking the various campaign finance pledges and promises made by the many candidates, as well as any broken promises that may ensue. We will continue to update this page throughout the race.
Many Democrats have already announced they’ll be rejecting corporate PAC money. Some have signed the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge, a promise to reject all campaign donations from the PACs of fossil fuel companies as well as donations of over $200 from fossil fuel executives.
Outside support from super PACs—independent political groups that are allowed to accept and spend unlimited amounts of money from individuals, corporations, and unions—is an issue that candidates have spoken less about, but it’s emerging as something Democrats will need to address.
The Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling and another subsequent lower court decision enabled unlimited corporate donations in politics. Many Democratic candidates say they want to overturn Citizens United.
Sludge reached out to the current 2020 contenders with a campaign finance questionnaire. We haven’t heard back from most candidates yet, so we are relying on existing statements, social media posts, and news reports to fill in the gaps. The chart below indicates promises they have made with a check mark. An “X” indicates a policy the candidate has explicitly broken or rejected, and blanks indicate policies that candidates haven’t yet addressed directly.
The promises apply to the primary election only, as the victorious candidate may alter their policies for the general election.
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Click on a candidate’s name to advance to that section of this page: Michael Bennet, Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Steve Bullock, Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, Bill de Blasio, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Wayne Messam, Beto O’Rourke, Tim Ryan, Bernie Sanders, Joe Sestak, Tom Steyer, Donald Trump, Elizabeth Warren, Bill Weld, Marianne Williamson, Andrew Yang.
Here are candidates that have dropped out of the race: Mike Gravel, John Hickenlooper, Jay Inslee, Seth Moulton, Eric Swalwell.
Here are details on the campaign finance promises of the major candidates who have declared for the 2020 presidential election:
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Co.)
Joe Biden (D), former vice president and senator of Delaware
- No corporate PAC donations (link)
- No federal lobbyist donations* (link)
- No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge (link)
- Overturn Citizens United (link)
- “Does not welcome assistance from super PACs” (link)
- Supports extending public campaign financing for federal elections (link)
*Biden launched his campaign with a fundraiser hosted by Comcast’s head of government affairs. While pledging not to take lobbyists’ direct contributions, he appears very open to accept their help raising money from others.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)
Wikimedia- No corporate PAC donations (link)
- No federal lobbyist donations* (link)
- No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge (link)
- Overturn Citizens United (link)
- Rejects super PAC support (link)
- Supports extending public campaign financing to congressional candidates** (link)
- Supports expansion of presidential public campaign finance program* (link)
*According to The Intercept, Booker broke his pledge to reject contributions from federal lobbyists. He has since reportedly returned the contribution.
**All Democratic senators signed on to the For The People Act, which creates a congressional public campaign finance program and expands the existing presidential program. The bill also proposes to overturn Citizens United, among many other measures.
On Feb. 13, 2018, Booker announced that he would no longer accept corporate PAC donations. Until then, his Senate campaign had received hundreds of thousands of dollars from corporate PACs, which he can transfer to his presidential campaign. This is the case with some other candidates as well.
Before Booker announced his candidacy, Democratic donor Steve Phillips launched a super PAC, Dream United, to back him.
Steve Bullock (D-Mont.), governor of Montana
*Bullock wants to ban all super PACs after becoming president but hasn’t directly stated he’ll reject super PAC support in this election.
Pete Buttigieg (D), mayor of South Bend, Indiana
Wikimedia- No corporate PAC donations (link)
- No federal lobbyist donations* (link)
- No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge (link)
- Overturn Citizens United (link)
- Has disclosed the identities of campaign contribution bundlers (link)
In 2017, Buttigieg created a Carey committee, a hybrid super PAC and traditional PAC, called Hitting Home PAC, which received money from corporate executives and donated to a number of Democratic congressional candidates in the 2018 election cycle.
Also in 2017, when running for Democratic National Committee chair, he did not endorse reinstating a ban on lobbyist donations to the DNC.
Buttigieg is not avoiding big-dollar fundraisers.
He accepted more than $30,000 worth of donations from 39 federal lobbyists, but announced on Apr. 26 that he’ll return these contributions and no longer accept money from federal lobbyists. He’ll also stop allowing lobbyists to fundraise for his campaign, but he’s still holding at least two fundraising eventsplanned by lobbyists—but now, without those lobbyists in attendance.
The Buttigieg campaign released a list of his campaign bundlers to the Center for Public Integrity in late April but did reveal the amounts that the bundlers raised. The campaign did not explain how it will disclose its bundlers going forward.
Julian Castro (D), former HUD secretary and San Antonio, Texas mayor
Wikimedia- No PAC donations of any kind (link)
- No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge (link)
- Overturn Citizens United (link)
- Rejects super PAC support (link)
In 2016, Castro co-hosted a big-dollar fundraiser for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
John Delaney (D), former U.S. representative from Maryland
Wikimedia- No corporate PAC donations (link)
- Overturn Citizens United (link)
- Co-sponsored bill extending public financing to congressional candidates (link)
Former finance executive Delaney won’t be taking corporate PAC contributions, but he’s self-funding his campaign: He’s already pumped over $4.6 million into it, according to FEC data.
In 2017, Delaney hosted several big-dollar fundraisers for his House campaign.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii)
WikimediaGabbard completed the Sludge campaign finance questionnaire and gave the following answers:
- No PAC donations of any kind
- No federal lobbyist donations
- No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge (link)
- Overturn Citizens United
- Rejects super PAC support
- Opposes self-funding
- Will swear off “big-money fundraisers”
- Supports expansion of presidential public campaign finance program
- Supports extending public campaign financing to congressional candidates
- Offered “no comment” to the Center for Public Integrity’s question about revealing bundlers (link)
The Hawaii rep pledged not to self-fund her campaign and opposes other candidates self-funding as well.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)
Wikimedia- No corporate PAC donations (link)
- No federal lobbyist donations (link)
- No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge (link)
- Overturn Citizens United (link)
- Rejects single-candidate super PAC support (link)
- Supports extending public campaign financing to congressional candidates (link)
- Supports expansion of presidential public campaign finance program (link)
Gillibrand has said she doesn’t support “individual super PACs,” or super PACs established to support just one candidate, but it’s unclear if she would disavow support from super PACs such as Priorities USA that could potentially support multiple candidates.
She is not avoiding large, corporate fundraisers.
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.)
Wikimedia- No corporate PAC donations (link)
- No federal lobbyist donations* (link)
- No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge (link)
- Rejects super PAC support** (link)
- Overturn Citizens United (link)
- Supports extending public campaign financing to congressional candidates (link)
- Supports expansion of presidential public campaign finance program (link)
- Will disclose the identities of fundraisers who bundle over $25,000 on her website (link)
*According to The Intercept, Harris broke her pledge to reject contributions from federal lobbyists. She has since reportedly returned the contribution.
**Harris said she “rejects super PAC activity” but did not offer specifics. She’s been attending big-dollar fundraisers in California recently.
[See all of Sludge’s 2020 coverage]
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
Wikimedia- No corporate PAC donations (link)
- No federal lobbyist donations (link)
- No Fossil Fuel Money pledge (link)
- Overturn Citizens United (link)
- Rejects super PAC support (link)
- Supports extending public campaign financing to congressional candidates (link)
- Supports expansion of presidential public campaign finance program (link)
- Plans to disclose the identities of bundlers (link)
Klobuchar raised funds at a big-dollar fundraiser this year.
Wayne Messam (D), mayor of Miramar, Florida
WikimediaMessam recently launched his campaign, so there is little available information about his campaign finance positions. In his last mayoral race, he loaned his campaign roughly $40,000.
In an interview with TYT, Messam said, “I’m not taking any super PAC money. I’m not taking money from corporations. Only from average, everyday Americans.” He didn’t explicitly state that he’s refusing corporate PAC donations. Taking money from super PACs is illegal, and he didn’t explicitly say he’ll reject outside support from super PACs. We’re attempting to get clarification.
Beto O’Rourke (D), former U.S. representative from Texas
Beto for Congress/Flickr- No PAC donations of any kind (link)
- No federal lobbyist donations* (link)
- No corporate donations (these are illegal) (link)
- No special-interest donations (link)
- No Fossil Fuel Money pledge** (link)
- Overturn Citizens United (link)
- Supports extending public campaign financing to congressional candidates (link)
- Offered “no comment” to the Center for Public Integrity’s question about revealing bundlers (link)
In the 2018 Texas Senate race, O’Rourke did not accept PAC donations, and he’s doing the same again. He said he will not sign the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge this time, however, after being exposed by Sludge for breaking the pledge last year. At a rally on March 22, O’Rourke responded to a question about fossil fuel-linked donations by saying that while he was a big recipient in 2018, he was also a big recipient of donations from hairdressers, pharmacists, and teachers. Sludge recently reported that O’Rourke accepted maximum donations from eight oil and gas executives in March.
Last year, O’Rourke attended a big-money fundraiser for his Senate campaign.
*According to The Intercept, O’Rouke broke his pledge to reject contributions from federal lobbyists. He has since reportedly returned the contribution, but has not done the same with a donation from a state-level Chevron lobbyist, first reported by Sludge.
**On May 1, after months of unclear and sometimes misleading statements on his campaign’s stance on donations from fossil fuel executives, O’Rourke announced that he will sign the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge.
Tim Ryan (D-Ohio)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.)
Wikimedia- No corporate PAC donations (link)
- No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge (link)
- Rejects super PAC support (link)
- Overturn Citizens United (link)
- Supports extending public campaign financing to congressional candidates (link)
- Supports expansion of presidential public campaign finance program (link)
- Does not have bundlers (link)
Sanders has long been in favor of campaign finance reform, and in the 2016 race, he said, “I do not have a super PAC, and I do not want a super PAC.”
Joe Sestak, former Pennsylvania representative
The Sestak campaign responsed to Sludge’s questions with the following answers:
- No corporate PAC donations
- No federal lobbyist donations
- No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge (link)
- Rejects super PAC support
- Will not self-fund his campaign and opposes other candidates doing so
- Overturn Citizens United (link)
- Has “no plans to” attend “big-money fundraisers”
- Supports extending public campaign financing to congressional candidates
- Supports expansion of presidential public campaign finance program, and is considering using the current program in this race
- Has no campaign donation bundlers
Tom Steyer, businessman
Gage Skidmore- No corporate PAC money (link)
- No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge (link)
- Overturn Citizens United (link)
- Supports H.R. 1, which extends public financing to congressional candidates (link)
President Donald Trump (R)
WikimediaDespite his statements in the 2016 race, Trump has fully embraced all aspects of Big Money in politics; on the day of his inauguration, he launched his re-election campaign, which has already amassed tens of millions of dollars. He has already broken most of the campaign finance planks addressed in this questionnaire.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
Wikimedia- No PAC donations of any kind (link)
- No federal lobbyist donations (link)
- No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge (link)
- Rejects super PAC support (link)
- Opposes self-funding (link)
- Overturn Citizens United (link)
- Will swear off “big-money fundraisers” (link)
- Supports extending public campaign financing to congressional candidates (link)
- Supports expansion of presidential public campaign finance program (link)
Warren has adopted perhaps the most aggressive anti-big money stance of all candidates, even saying she won’t host any “fancy receptions or big money fundraisers” as a way of treating every donor equally, regardless of the size of their donations. She also shut down her joint fundraising committee, saying that candidates shouldn’t be fundraising from PACs at all.
Bill Weld (R), former governor of Massachussetts
Marianne Williamson (D), author and lecturer from California
WikimediaWilliamson submitted her answers to Sludge’s questionnaire.
- No corporate PAC money
- No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge (link)
- Overturn Citizens United
- Rejects super PAC support
- Will not self-fund
- Supports extending public campaign financing to congressional candidates
- Supports expansion of presidential public campaign finance program
- Does not plan to have bundlers (link)
Regarding lobbyist contributions, Williamson told Sludge, “There are some lobbyists who support women’s rights, or the poor. They do good work on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. I will reject any contribution that I deem unsuitable to my candidacy or the tenants of my presidency.”
Williamson said she will participate in big-dollar fundraisers. “I am not prejudiced against the rich as I am not prejudiced against the poor. Our donations average about $39.40 per donor, and our small donations will always outweigh the large.”
Williamson won’t fund her campaign but does not oppose other candidates doing so.
Andrew Yang (D), entrepreneur from California
Wikimedia- No corporate PAC money (link)
- Overturn Citizens United (link)
- No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge (link)
- End super PACs (link)
- Support expanding public campaign financing (link)
- Does not have bundlers and will disclose information on bundlers if this changes (link)
Yang supports a form of public financing he calls “Democracy Dollars,” a plan for publicly funded $100 vouchers that voters can give to the candidate(s) of their choice.
He proposes the elimination of super PACs but doesn’t state explicitly that he’ll reject super PAC support on his website.
The entrepreneur founded his presidential campaign committee in 2017, and his campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Elections Committee do not indicate he’s accepted any corporate PAC donations. He reported donating $48,000 to his campaign as of the end of 2018.
Former Candidates
Bill de Blasio (D), mayor of New York City
Mike Gravel (D), former U.S. senator from Alaska
Gravel’s campaign returned Sludge’s questionnaire with these answers:
- No PAC money of any kind
- No federal lobbyist donations
- No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge (“video will be posted soon”)
- Overturn Citizens United
- Rejects support from all super PACs
- Will not self-fund and opposes others doing so
- Will swear off “big-money fundraisers”
- Supports extending public campaign financing to congressional candidates
- Supports expansion of presidential public campaign finance program
- Does not plan to have bundlers
Gravel, an 88-year-old congressional veteran and anti-interventionist, is running for president for the second time. He has the most expansive anti-Big Money campaign policy of any candidate in the race.
Regarding “big-money fundraisers,” campaign manager David Oks said, “We won’t get invited and wouldn’t go if we were invited.”
John Hickenlooper (D), former governor of Colorado
Wikimedia- No corporate PAC donations (link)
Hickenlooper formed a leadership PAC in September 2018, a predecessor to his presidential exploratory committee. The Giddy Up PAC took in hundreds of thousands of dollars last year, much of it from donors who gave the maximum $5,000 donation. Hickenlooper hosted a big-money fundraiser for the PAC in New York City in February.
The Colorado governor, a proponent of fracking, signed the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge, only to rescind his commitment when learning he’d have to refuse large donations from oil and gas executives.
Hickenlooper may have broken federal campaign finance law by saying he was running for president without abiding by the fundraising restrictions imposed on official candidates.
Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), governor of Washington
WikimediaA super PAC, Act Now on Climate, was formed to exclusively support him in the presidential race, and he hasn’t disavowed it. End Citizens United wrote Inslee a letter asking him to disavow the super PAC, but instead, he welcomed it.
Inslee has in the past expressed support for public campaign financing.
In the past, he’s benefited from big-money fundraisers.
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.)
- No corporate PAC money (link)
- No Fossil Fuel Money pledge (link)
- Overturn Citizens United (link)
- Co-sponsored bill extending public financing to congressional candidates (link)
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.)
- No corporate PAC money (link)
- No Fossil Fuel Money pledge (link)
- Overturn Citizens United (link)
- Co-sponsored bill extending public financing to congressional candidates (link)
- Will disclose identities of bundlers and amount bundled for any bundlers who raise more than $50,000 (link)
Here is the questionnaire Sludge sent to the presidential candidates:
1. Do you reject corporate PAC donations?
2. Do you reject all PAC donations?
3. Do you reject donations from federal lobbyists?
4. Do you want to overturn Citizens United?
5. Do you reject support from single-candidate super PACs?
6. Do you reject support from all super PACs?
7. Did you sign the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge? If not, will you?
8. Do you pledge not to self-fund your campaign? Do you oppose other candidates self-funding?
9. Will you participate in “fancy receptions or big money fundraisers only with people who can write the big checks” (as Elizabeth Warren put it) or other similar events that privilege large donors?
10. Are you participating in the public financing program for presidential candidates?
11. Do you support the expansion of the public financing program for presidential candidates?
12. Do you support a public financing program for congressional candidates?
13. Do you plan to publicly disclose the identities of all campaign bundlers? If so, how frequently will you disclose them, and what details will you provide about the money they bundle?
This post will be updated as new information becomes available. If you have any information on these candidates and their campaign finance commitments, email me: alex@readsludge.com
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