Washington, DC – Ten congressional and mayoral candidates across party lines became the first to sign a pledge launched today asking candidates for elected office to support a people-powered democracy and reject campaign contributions from fossil fuel interests. The launch of the pledge expands upon an ongoing effort to encourage presidential candidates to sign, which has thus far secured a commitment from Sen. Bernie Sanders.
“Our democracy is under attack. From the halls of Congress to the White House, candidates for office must prove they will fight for people not big industry,” said Greenpeace Democracy Campaign Leader Molly Dorozenski. “More than ever before voters are demanding a democracy that works for all of us. Candidates can prove who they answer to by rejecting fossil fuel money immediately.”
In response to preliminary outreach, Greenpeace has secured commitments from the following Democratic, Republican and Green Party candidates for elected office:
- Sen. Jamie Raskin (Democrat, U.S. House – Maryland’s 8th Congressional District)
- Del. Ana Sol-Gutierrez (Democrat, U.S. House – Maryland’s 8th Congressional District)
- Jeff Jones (Republican, U.S. House – Maryland’s 8th Congressional District)
- Zephyr Teachout (Democrat, U.S. House – New York’s 19th Congressional District)
- Rep. Alan Grayson (Democrat, U.S. Senate in Florida)
- Kevin Stine (Democrat, U.S. Senate in Oregon)
- George Gluck (Green, U.S. House – Maryland’s 6th Congressional District)
- Joe DeMare (Green, U.S. Senate in Ohio)
- Von Hougo (Republican, U.S. Senate in California)
- Sarah Iannarone (Candidate for Mayor in Portland, Oregon)
Over the coming weeks and months, Greenpeace activists in more than 20 locations will put pressure on local candidates to sign the pledge to fix democracy. Greenpeace will feature the campaigns of Senate candidate Russ Feingold, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Rep. Keith Ellison, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Sen. Ron Johnson in hopes that they will sign on next.
Greenpeace and more than 20 organizations and leading figures launched the pledge to presidential candidates in January, which asks those running for office to prioritize getting big money out of politics and restoring voting rights. Sen. Bernie Sanders immediately signed the pledge, but Sec. Hillary Clinton and the Republican candidates have so far ignored calls to sign on. However, Clinton did respond to the request by reiterating her commitment to fix democracy if elected president. Hillary Clinton and the Super PAC supporting her have received more than $4.5 million from the fossil fuel industry.
The pledge to #fixdemocracy reads as following:
I pledge allegiance to a democracy of, by, and for the people.
If elected, I pledge to fight for a people-powered democracy where every voice is heard
By defending the right to vote for all, and
Supporting common-sense measures like public funding for campaigns and overturning Citizens United to ensure a government by and for the people, not the biggest donors.
And I will prove that I work for the people by refusing money from fossil fuel interests and by championing these solutions for a people powered democracy on the campaign trail.
To learn more about the pledge and those who have signed on, please click here: https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/democracy-pledge/
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Contacts:
Perry Wheeler, Greenpeace Media Officer, P: 301-675-8766
Cassady Sharp, Greenpeace Media Officer, P: 828-817-3328
