Issue One is pleased to welcome former Vermont Republican Congressman Peter Smith to the ReFormers Caucus. The ReFormers are a group of over 150 former governors and members of Congress dedicated to reducing the influence of money in politics. Congressman Smith represented Vermont’s at large district from 1988-1990. Before his time in the House, he was the lieutenant governor of
Read More
With the 2016 elections nearly a month away, it’s time for an update on the various state ballot initiative efforts at money-in-politics reform around the country. Oregon Oregon is one of six states with no limit on campaign contributions. As a result, the Center for Public Integrity ranked the state second to last for its campaign finance system. Thankfully, Multnomah
Read More
Issue One is pleased to welcome former North Carolina Republican Congresswoman, Sue Myrick, to the ReFormers Caucus. Congresswoman Myrick joins more than 150 former elected officials committed to reducing the influence of money in politics. In her 18-year-long career in office, Congresswoman Myrick served as the deputy majority whip, the vice chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the
Read More
Following Monday evening’s presidential debate, Issue One Executive Director Nick Penniman issued the following statement: “Both candidates failed tonight to lead on a critical issue that the American people want to hear more about — reducing the power money has over our politics and government. In a recent national poll, Americans across all demographics said this is a top five concern. They deserve to
Read More
This op-ed originally appeared in TIME. It is an underappreciated small miracle that so many Americans are paying close attention to the presidential campaign. Some are predicting that the number of voters watching Monday night’s debate will equal the viewers who watch the Super Bowl. There is reason to hope for another small miracle—that both Secretary Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will agree that
Read More
Issue One is excited to welcome former New York Republican Congressman Jack Quinn to the ReFormers Caucus. The ReFormers Caucus is a bipartisan coalition made up of former lawmakers, committed to reforming campaign financing and fixing our broken Congress. Jack Quinn was a congressman for 12 years, serving on many committees including Transportation and Infrastructure, Veterans’ Affairs, and the Joint
Read More
Today, Issue One welcomes former California Republican Representative Tom Campbell to the ReFormers Caucus. During his public service in Congress representing California’s 12th and 15th districts, Campbell served on the Judiciary, Banking, Small Business and International Relations committees, among others. He authored the 2000 Peace Corps re-authorization act and 1998 Food Bank Relief Act, as well. Following his election to
Read More
This op-ed originally appeared in the Texas Tribune. While former Gov. Rick Perry may be cha-cha-ing on Dancing with the Stars, it’s the cha-ching of the 2016 presidential campaign Texans should remember. Why? Because high-profile Texans including Perry and Sen. Ted Cruz worked the levers of our broken campaign finance system to the tune of millions of dollars in their race to the
Read MoreIssue One is pleased to announce that leading ethics advocate Meredith McGehee will join Issue One as Chief of Policy, Programs and Strategy on October 3. McGehee will lead Issue One’s advocacy efforts to reinvigorate our democratic system. She will also expand the organization’s recruitment of former elected officials and business leaders. She will continue as a strategic adviser with the Campaign Legal
Read More
Issue One’s ReFormers Caucus is urging Secretary Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to spell out their plans to fix our out-of-control campaign finance system at their first presidential debate. The text of the Caucus’ statement is below, and available here (PDF). STATEMENT OF REFORMERS CAUCUS: CANDIDATES MUST ADDRESS MONEY IN POLITICS AT FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE As Secretary Hillary Clinton
Read MoreRead “Why We Left Congress: How the Legislative Branch Is Broken and What We Can Do About It”
Issue One’s new joint report with the R Street Institute examines the legislative branch’s dysfunction through conversations with members who have voluntarily departed in the 2018 cycle. Read the full report and proposed solutions in “Why We Left Congress: How the Legislative Branch is Broken and What We Can Do About It” here.
