Gabe Cavallaro

gcavallaro@newsleader.com

ROANOKE - An initiative to highlight and support candidates for political office who "pledge to back anti-corruption legislation and promise not to accept special interest political action committee (PAC) money for their campaigns" has launched out of Roanoke, according to a Thursday press release.

The group, called the Clean Money Squad, is in the process of getting in touch with candidates for local and state offices, with a plan to announce candidates who have signed on to be "clean money candidates" at an event on April 15.

"People across Virginia and the U.S. are demanding more from their candidates, so we created the Clean Money Squad as a way to promote our mission of stopping corruption in politics," said David Denham, president of Represent Roanoke Valley, an organization that calls on the General Assembly to "enact comprehensive anti-corruption reform modeled on the American Anti-Corruption Act," according to the group's Facebook page.

"We believe that the people should not have their voices stifled by the ever-expanding role of special interest money in our governing bodies," Denham said. "Having a centralized place where Virginians can go to find out who has taken the pledge will be a great resource. People can then give their time or money to support candidates they know they can trust. Hopefully that will lead to more fighters against corruption getting elected and shifting the political landscape for the better. We look forward to working with candidates, voters, and organizations on this important project."

Kaine to visit Waynesboro, Staunton on Friday