Axne raking in corporate campaign $$$ despite pledge

Just another reminder that Cindy Axne is lying to voters about her stance on accepting corporate money for her reelection campaign.

In case you missed it…

Business money flows through gaps in anti-corporate PAC pledge

Business PACs not labeled ‘corporate’ gave $2.6M to pledge-takers

Roll Call

Kate Ackley and George LeVines

March 11, 2020

https://www.rollcall.com/2020/03/11/business-money-flows-through-gaps-in-anti-corporate-pac-pledge/

In raising more than $2 million last year, Rep. Cindy Axne didn’t take a dime from any PAC designated as linked to a “corporation” by the Federal Election Commission. Yet her campaign is still stocked with contributions from groups that represent corporate and business interests on Capitol Hill.

And she’s not alone. The freshman Democrat, who is in a Toss-up race in an Iowa district President Donald Trump carried in 2016, is one of more than 50 sitting lawmakers who have taken a pledge not to accept direct donations from the political action committees of corporations.

The pledge has led to growing concerns among corporate PAC leaders about what it means for their future.

Yet a review of contribution records by CQ Roll Call found the political money of business interests — to the tune of $2.6 million last year alone — continued to find a way to most of the lawmakers who have taken the pledge.

Typically, that route is through the PACs of trade associations and professional organizations. They get most of their money from dues-paying corporations or executives, and their PACs are filled with donations from some of the same corporate executives and lobbyists who may give to corporate PACs. Still, trade association and member organization PACs are not designated as corporate PACs under the FEC’s classification process and therefore don’t violate the no-corporate-PAC pledge as crafted by advocacy groups promoting it.

Supporters say taking the pledge allows candidates to make up for any lost contributions by appealing to the public for direct support. But the records show most still leave open an avenue for business PAC money.

“To be blunt, it’s nonsensical,” said Michael Toner, a Republican former FEC chairman, who leads the election law and government ethics practice at Wiley LLP. “It’s political atmospherics over substance.”

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Click HERE to read the full report.