Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren pledged Tuesday to reject any donations “over $200 from executives at big tech companies, big banks, private equity firms, or hedge funds.”
The Democratic presidential hopeful said in a statement on her campaign website that not only will she refuse support from “the rich and powerful,” but she hopes all other candidates will follow suit. The Warren campaign also says it will return donations from top executives, but has not defined what qualifies a donor as an “executive,” according to Politico.
“I’m also calling on every candidate in this race to disclose any donor or fundraiser who has a special title on their campaign … and to disclose the dates and locations of their fundraising events and the names of every person who appears on a host committee on invitations tied to those events, ” she said.
Corruption in Washington is holding back progress—and much of it is perfectly legal thanks to the Supreme Court. It’s time to get big money out of politics and put power back in the hands of the people—and I’ve got a plan for that. https://t.co/wtT7JacMpx
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) October 15, 2019
Warren also took aim at the Supreme Court.
“To truly end the corruption of our democracy,” she alleges “we must also pass a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s disastrous decisions in Citizens United and Buckley v. Valeo.” The Court’s decision on Buckley v. Valeo established that it’s unconstitutional for Congress to regulate election spending.
Additionally, Warren wants to reduce the ability of non-candidate actors to engage in online political advertising, alleging that Russians helped promote Trump’s 2016 campaign on the web.
Warren’s plan to regulate political fundraising isn’t limited to election season, either. (RELATED: Facebook Fires Back At Warren)
“Because political spending doesn’t end on Election Day, we must also enact strict contribution limits and disclosure requirements for inaugural committees,” her statement reads. The stated goal of this measure is “so we never have to endure an ethics disaster like Donald Trump’s inauguration again.”
Warren believes that even without the support of wealthy donors, “Democrats have the resources not just to beat Donald Trump but also to win back Congress and state legislatures all across the country.”
Warren often focuses her message and campaign on the influence of tech corporations and the wealthy.
In March, she published an op-ed explaining why “it’s time to break up Amazon, Google, and Facebook.” She was also critical of Facebook’s recent meeting with conservative pundits, suggesting that this meeting will result in Facebook acting in the interest of the right.
Facebook shouldn’t be intimidated into allowing lies and propaganda to be promoted on their website—and no private company should have this much power in the first place. We need to #BreakUpBigTech. https://t.co/EwCPbaGpiB
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) October 15, 2019