Editor’s note: This is 25th District Congressional District Candidate Katie Hill’s response to Bryan Caforio’s call for signing the pledge. Candidate Jess Phoenix signed the pledge.
Bryan,
Thank you for your email.
I firmly believe we need profound campaign finance reform—there is far too much money in politics, and the way campaigns raise and spend money disadvantages people who most need a voice. I know this all too well from having built our grassroots campaign from the ground up.
That is why, from day one, I have pledged to live my values and not take corporate money.
I will only be accountable to the people who elect me to represent them.
As you very well know after IEs spent more than $3 million trying to elect you in 2016, campaigns can not legally know about, or coordinate with, IEs.
Yet with this pledge, you are essentially asking us all to be accountable for these IEs—that feels like quite a hollow ask. You also seem to lump support from organizations advancing the rights of workers, women and families with those working to dismantle our democracy, pollute our environment and value gun rights over human lives.
You know there is a difference between “dark, dirty money” and organizations fighting on the ground to make our communities a better place to live.
Not making that distinction is misleading.
Again, as you learned from the tough 2016 cycle, Steve Knight is a very formidable opponent. If we want a Democrat to emerge successfully this time around, handicapping us by asking us to potentially decimate our campaign bank accounts in the name of political theater is foolish and destructive.
The people of the 25th District deserve better, and have time and again demanded more than politics as usual.
Trying to mislead them with this political posturing is simply offensive, and I am not going to be a part of it. I owe far better to the 5,000+ people who have invested their hard-earned dollars into my campaign, the 2,000 volunteers, and the people of my community.
Frankly, we all do.
I am all in favor of taking meaningful steps to drastically reform campaign finance regulations and practices, which is again why I pledged from the beginning to not take corporate money, and why I have promised that fighting for campaign finance reform, and more transparency and accountability in our political system, will be one of my top priorities in Congress.
I hope through the rest of the primary season, I have your commitment to steering clear of political theater and focus on what we as candidates can deliver for the people of the 25th district. Thank you.
