Q: How will you use your public office to end corporate constitutional rights and big money in politics?
A: Money pays far too big a role in our democracy. The recent move, via Citizens United, to give corporations the free-speech rights of individual human beings has only increased this danger. I am committed to addressing this threat to our democracy. I will continue to advocate for an amendment to end Citizens United and the set of legal principles – fundamentally, that freedom of speech means freedom to spend – that surround it. I will also continue to advocate for legislation that protects the rights of individual citizens to participate in democracy as much as possible. A fundamental component is disclosure – simply allowing citizens at least to know how much is being raised and spent in elections. In recent legislative sessions, I have been a coauthor of a state constitutional amendment to require the disclosure of independent campaign expenditures. I will continue to push hard for disclosure, for limits on spending, and for public financing, among other reforms, even while moving toward a federal constitutional amendment that will allow citizens to regain control of our democracy.