The recent primary loss of Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) has ignited a renewed call for campaign finance reform among progressive leaders, highlighting the powerful influence of money in politics. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) have both spoken out against the outsized role of super PACs and billionaires in determining election outcomes, emphasizing the urgent need to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.
Bush’s primary defeat is largely attributed to the intervention of pro-Israel groups, particularly the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP). The group spent a staggering $8.5 million to unseat the progressive lawmaker, making it the second most expensive House primary in history, only behind the $14.5 million spent by UDP in an attempt to defeat Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-New York) earlier this year.
Sanders, a longtime critic of the influence of money in politics, was quick to point out the implications of such spending. “AIPAC had to spend $8.5 million to get 51 percent of the vote to defeat Cori Bush,” Sanders said in a social media post. “Billionaires buying elections is not what this country is supposed to be about. We have to end Citizens United and super PACs and move to public funding of elections.”
AIPAC had to spend $8.5 million to get 51% of the vote to defeat Cori Bush. Billionaires buying elections is not what this country is supposed to be about. We have to end Citizens United and super PACs and move to public funding of elections.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) August 8, 2024
Sanders has consistently called for the overturn of Citizens United, the 2010 Supreme Court decision that allowed unlimited spending by corporations and unions in elections. He argues that this ruling has led to a corrupt campaign finance system where the interests of the wealthy few overshadow the needs of the majority. “It is an outrage and an insult to democracy that we maintain a corrupt campaign finance system which allows billionaire-funded super PACs to buy elections,” Sanders stated earlier this year, following Bowman’s primary challenge. “Big Money buys politicians who will do their bidding, and the results are clear.”
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez echoed Sanders’ sentiments, emphasizing the challenges faced by candidates who oppose powerful interest groups. In an interview with CBS, Ocasio-Cortez said, “All of that money was spent against them by a big money system of super PACs and difficult-to-trace political contributions. That, to me, speaks to the corrupting role of our current campaign finance system and the fact that it is very hard to be a working-class American that gets elected to office and stay in office.”
Ocasio-Cortez also noted that Bush and Bowman were targeted because they took courageous stands on issues that are often avoided in mainstream politics. “Bowman and Bush spoke courageously on issues that are often very difficult to talk about in mainstream politics,” she said. “And I think that is one of the reasons why they have earned so much support: because they’re willing to put their careers on the line to advocate for the issues … and the viewpoints that they think are right.”
The role of AIPAC in these elections has drawn sharp criticism from progressives who argue that the organization is using its financial power to shift the Democratic Party to the right. AIPAC’s strategy, which has included funding Republican-aligned donors to meddle in Democratic primaries, has sparked concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.
Bush, despite her loss, vowed to continue fighting against the influence of money in politics and the agenda pushed by groups like AIPAC. In her concession speech, she made it clear that her battle was far from over. “AIPAC, I’m coming to tear your kingdom down,” Bush declared. “And let me put all of these corporations on notice: I’m coming after you too. But I’m not coming by myself. I’m coming with all the people that’s in here, that’s doing the work.”
The push to end Citizens United and implement public funding of elections is gaining momentum among progressives, who argue that true democracy cannot thrive while the influence of money continues to dominate the political landscape. As Sanders has repeatedly stated, “This is not what democracy looks like, and we must change it.”
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