Statement by Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn

In the prepared text of his speech tonight in Cleveland, Mr. Trump correctly identified perhaps the gravest threat to our democracy: the influence of “big donors,” “powerful special interests,” and a “rigged system.” What was missing were solutions to the problem.

Perhaps even worse, the platform Mr. Trump’s fellow Republicans adopted this week suggests the party’s other leaders don’t even recognize the problem. The Republican platform would expand big money’s influence on politics and government, not limit it.

Polls show democracy reform is a nonpartisan issue among everyday Americans; 85% of the American electorate – including 81% of Republicans – agree that we need fundamental changes or a complete overhaul of the way political campaigns are funded. It’s time for Donald Trump and his party to offer real solutions – like those included in the Fighting Big Money Agenda released last year by Common Cause and a dozen other leading reform organizations — instead of just complaining about the problem.

The debate about the problem on money in politics is over. Voters want and need to hear about real solutions that will encourage democratic participation and put the interests of voters above wealthy special interests.