Issues: Money in Politics

We all know that there are two things that politicians respond to – votes and money.  And as a candidate, you find out pretty quickly that to get the votes, you need money and lots of it.  Votes get you elected and money gets you votes. 

Money in politics has always been a problem, but ever since the U.S. Supreme Court decided that corporations are people and that money is free speech, candidates like me, who are not beholden to wealthy people who own PACs, or huge corporations, are at decided disadvantage.   

This race is a perfect example, where my opponent has received over a half a million dollars of support from a PAC funded by two or three billionaires.  He won his primary, not because he was the best candidate, but because the PAC that supported him vastly outspent the opposition.

That isn’t how democracy should work. Elections should not go to the highest bidder. 

When I’m elected I will work hard to change the way campaigns are financed here in Illinois.  I will start by changing transparency and accountability.  I believe that if we require massive corporations and their owners to be open about who they support, we will be able to see what they expect for their contributions.