Bryan Caforio Signs People’s Pledge To Keep Dark Money Out Of CA-25 Primary

April 3rd, 2018

Bryan Caforio Signs People’s Pledge To Keep Dark Money Out Of CA-25 Primary

Caforio calls on Democratic candidates to join him in signing the Pledge

 

Santa Clarita, Calif. – Today, Bryan Caforio signed the People’s Pledge and called on each Democratic candidate running in California’s 25^th Congressional District to join him in taking concrete action to protect our democracy:

All of my fellow Democratic candidates in this race have rightfully condemned the corrupting and dangerous influence of dark money from outside groups in our electoral process:

“I strongly support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, and I will fight for publicly financed elections, eliminating money from politics, and complete transparency for all political contributions.”

–Bryan Caforio, BryanCaforio.com

“Supporting a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizen’s United isn’t   enough — we need to elect people who are willing to regulate themselves as representatives and stand up to the people who hold the purse strings.”

–Katie Hill, Blue America, May 20, 2017

“I’m running a grassroots campaign and I’ll be working to overturn Citizens United and make publicly-funded elections a reality. Corporate money is why our political world is such a mess now.”

–Jess Phoenix, Twitter, January 18, 2018

In keeping with our stated goals of protecting our democracy, I challenge every Democratic candidate to sign the People’s Pledge and agree to do everything in our power to keep outside entities from interfering with our election.

The original People’s Pledge was proposed during the 2012 Massachusetts Senate race between now-Senator Elizabeth Warren and her Republican opponent Scott Brown in the aftermath of the dreadful Citizens United Supreme Court decision. Since then, super PACs have only grown in influence, giving millionaires, billionaires, and corporations an outsized role in our elections.

Once each candidate signs the People’s Pledge, then should any group, other than a candidate’s designated campaign committee, make an expenditure on a candidate’s behalf, that candidate shall make an equal contribution from his or her campaign committee to the charity of the opposing candidate’s choice. If Jess Phoenix and Katie Hill both agree to join me in signing the People’s Pledge, and a third-party expenditure is made on my behalf or to oppose one of my Democratic opponents, then my campaign committee will give an equal contribution to the charity designated by my opponent(s). For purposes of this People’s Pledge, my designated charity is Valley Oasis, which provides services to homeless individuals and victims of domestic abuse in the Antelope Valley.

Every Democratic candidate has spoken in favor of campaign finance reform, criticized Citizens United, and called for an end to outside spending. It’s time that our actions match our campaign promises. Today I proudly sign the People’s Pledge. I sincerely hope Katie Hill and Jess Phoenix “are willing to regulate themselves” and take this crucial step to protect our democracy.

To read the People’s Pledge, click here.

 

The son of two public school teachers, Caforio was born and raised in Southern California, attended UCLA and Yale Law School, worked for a United States federal judge, and practices as an attorney taking on some of the world’s biggest banks and corporations. Bryan lives in Santa Clarita with his wife Lisa, who serves as a Deputy City Attorney at the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.

California’s 25th Congressional District covers northern Los Angeles County and part of Ventura County, including the Santa Clarita Valley, Antelope Valley, and Simi Valley. Hillary Clinton won the district by more than six points in 2016, and registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans. The district is now considered a “toss-up” and is held by Tea Party Republican Steve Knight, whom national Republicans have publicly identified as one of their most vulnerable incumbents. Polling shows Democrats with a double-digit lead over Knight.