Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur proudly represents the working people of Ohio's Ninth Congressional District. She is currently the longest serving woman in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives and ranks among the most senior Members of the 117th Congress.
Out-of-control campaign spending has reached a truly dangerous level in our country. Our country's very future is at risk unless we achieve significant campaign finance reform. Special interests exert far too much power in Washington.
According to political scientist Lee Drutman, corporations spend about $2.6 billion a year on reported lobbying expenditures, measurably more than the approximately $2.2 billion available to Congress for everything from staff salaries to policy, budget, and legal research.
The opportunity for ordinary Americans with talent and dedication to win elections in our country is steadily disappearing. In 1982, the average race for the U.S. House seat cost $265,000, according to the Federal Elections Commission. Now a contested race will cost well over a million dollars, depending on the media market.
The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United represented a major step backward—allowing corporations and rich individuals to contribute unlimited sums of money without any accountability. Congress must enact strong campaign finance reform and end once and for all the current practice of allowing elections to be bought by the highest bidder.