The primary reason that I run as a Clean Elections candidate is that I believe that big money politics is destroying our democracy. I believe that elected officials should be beholden to the voters– not to the money. I believe that we– as elected officials– should spend our time making your lives better and improving our state– rather than spending time fundraising. I believe that we should end Citizens United, get money out of politics and adopt a nationwide Clean Elections system. Dirty money has created an election system soaked in lies and fueled by negative advertising. It’s time to say, “Enough is enough”and take our government back from special interest groups and the richest 1% who regularly buy politicians.
In the 53 Legislature, I proposed a bills that would have:
- Made our elections more fair;
- Reduced the current maximum campaign finance donation from the current $5000 for Legislative races and $6250 for county supervisor races back down to previous levels ($400-500 dollars);
- Increased transparency in campaign finance;
- Broadened Clean Elections to include county races and unpaid boards (like school and water boards);
- Allowed Arizona to accept the National Popular Vote as our presidential vote–instead of using the Electoral College.
In addition, I support automatic voter registration at age 18, restoration of voting rights, and repeal of other voter suppression bills that were passed by previous Arizona Legislatures. People should be encouraged to vote–not discouraged to vote.
I support the Outlaw Dirty Money Citizens Initiative, and in fact, my volunteers and I circulated petitions to get it on the ballot. The citizens of Arizona have a right to know who is buying politicians and how much they are paying for them.
‘View from the Left Side’ Blog & YouTube Videos
Since 2018, I have been making daily video updates from my office at the Capital and regular videos during the interim, when I am in Tucson. As a result, I have an extensive collection of videos on Facebook and YouTube. Both collections are organized into playlists to facilitate learning more about specific topics like education, taxes, or public health.
Rep. PPH YouTube Playlist on Clean Elections & Big-Money Politics
And my Playlist on Regulation & Deregulation
And my Playlist on Tax Giveaways & Sweetheart Deals
(It’s all about the money.)
For more information, here are more blog posts and YouTube links.
With Massive Tax Cuts from Feds, Big Corps Don’t Need AZ Tax Giveaways (video)
Balancing Responsibility & Liberty: The Yin & Yang of Public Policy
John Nichols on Money in Politics: $10 Billion in Political Ads in 2012 (video)
PDA Tucson Clean Elections Forum Nov 16 (video)
Here are a few short videos updates on the topic of dirty money and Clean Elections.
In this video from his 2015 talk in Tucson, author and historian John Nichols talks about money in politics and the affect of negative advertising on voter turnout.
Here are a couple of videos from my 2016 campaign.