After graduating law school, Harper went to work at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) as an adviser to then-director Richard Cordray. The bureau was created in 2011, in the aftermath of the Great Recession, to be a financial watchdog that regulates banks, credit card companies, and predatory lenders. Harper calls the CFPB “a shining example of what’s possible when you actually let government work.”

“We've been taught over the past 40 years that the federal government working for us is somehow wrong or not a good use of resources,” Harper said. “When really, that’s the best use of resources — when we're putting government to work for the people.”

Harper has pledged not to accept any donations from corporate political action committees (PACs). She has also promised not to accept money from “registered lobbyists or individuals who are employed by a payday lender or firearm manufacturer.”

“I believe we have let politics get to a place, even among Democratic representatives, where there's just way too much money floating around,” she said. “I do believe you lose sight of the first responsibility of being a representative, which is to the people that you are serving.”

Harper added that funding her campaign through small donors — as Senator Bernie Sanders did during his 2016 presidential run — is critical to engage people who may have given up on politics.

“They want to hear, ‘Are you down for me?’” Harper said. “And the only way that you can truly be down for people, for communities, is to not take money from corporations. I firmly believe that.”

Beatty, for her part, defended accepting corporate PAC donations.

“I do take some PAC money because it’s so important for me to be in the room,” she told Teen Vogue. “I get a little offended, and I’m only speaking for me, when people say if somebody writes me a thousand-dollar check or a $2 check or a $2,000 check, that they own me. My record speaks for itself.”

The Democratic Party has faced criticism for its ties to corporate interests, aided by lax campaign finance laws. The Congressional Black Caucus in particular has faced some scrutiny in recent years from critics who accuse them of cozying up to Wall Street lobbyists. Beatty serves as vice chair of the caucus and as a member of the House Financial Services Committee. Beatty’s campaign had roughly $1.3 million cash on hand as of June 30, with her largest PAC contributions coming from the finance, insurance, and real estate sectors, according to the Center for Responsive Politics and Federal Election Committee data.

Beatty said she supports campaign finance reform, and compared taking corporate PAC donations to accepting money from out-of-state donors.

“I think it’s unfair to those of us who worked hard and stand up for the people and happen to take money from some PACs and some people. But I respect those who don’t,” Beatty added. “You can be bought by individuals small and large just as much as some corporation.”

The influence of corporate money pervades the Democratic Party, even among members of Congress who consider themselves lefties.

Harper herself had people trying to convince her to accept corporate cash, but believes taking the pledge is fundamental “to reset our politics for the next generation.”

“It's funny, even people I would describe as progressive were like, ‘Well, you want to win, right?’” Harper said. “We want to win, but in the right way.”

Franklin County, which includes the city of Columbus, is a blue splotch in central Ohio’s sea of red. Given how blue the 3rd District is, the Democratic primary — which will take place on St. Patrick’s Day next year — could essentially be the general election. Still, the demographic results of Ohio Republicans’ redistricting efforts are clear: In the 3rd District, black residents are estimated to make up more than a third of the population. Next door, in the 15th District, which is represented by GOP Rep. Steve Stivers, the population estimate is 91% white and just 4% black.