Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Solomon Will Not Accept Corporate PAC Money

Congressional candidate Norman Solomon announced today (Sept. 6) that he will not accept any corporate PAC money in his campaign for the open seat in California's new North Coast district, which extends from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border.

Solomon, a progressive Democrat who is campaigning this week in Humboldt and Mendocino counties, said that lofty rhetoric about the need for campaign finance reform must be matched by action. "Huge corporations seeking to fatten their profit margins are using Political Action Committees to pressure and sway members of Congress," he said. "I don't want their money. I want to be accountable to voters, not Wall Street."

Taking the unusual step of pledging not to accept a single campaign contribution from a corporate PAC, Solomon declared: "We're not supposed to have government of, by and for the large corporations -- or Wall Street. Many of the biggest companies are posting record profits while many millions of Americans are out of work. Home foreclosures are sky-high, schools are losing teachers, retirement security is in jeopardy. This is completely unacceptable."

Solomon, who was elected as an Obama delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, is an outspoken foe of what he calls "undue deference to Wall Street" in Washington.

"Political rhetoric about 'shared sacrifice' rings hollow when the vast majority of us are being sacrificed to the financial benefit of big banks and large corporations," Solomon said. He charged that "Congress has acted in the financial interests of the rich instead of the public."

Solomon said that his campaign for Congress in the new coastal district is leading the race in several key ways -- including "the most volunteers, the first door-to-door canvassing, the most house parties and the largest number of individual contributors." He added: "We don't rely on big donors. Our campaign's momentum is propelled by wide and deep grassroots support."

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