The House Democrats Pledged Not To Take Corporate Cash – But They’re Using a Loophole To Do It Anyway

Despite the lack of mechanisms to enforce any campaign trail promises, voluntary campaign finance pledges are an important first step to reform, said Brendan Fischer, director of the Campaign Legal Center, a campaign finance watchdog. Fischer did, however, point out that the no corporate PAC pledge, limited as it may be, appears to have had some impact, with lobbyists recently complaining to Beltway press that it has become more difficult to buy their way into mingling with lawmakers. “That being said,” Fischer continued, “if the no corporate PAC pledge is supposed to signal a candidate’s support for limiting corporate influence on politics, then taking money from a corporate trade association’s PAC seems to undermine their position.”

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