Brennan Center Applauds Gov. Cuomo’s Efforts to Blunt Impact of Citizens United

Today, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a counsel’s opinion and urged the State Legislature to take aggressive action to strengthen protections against the growing influence of independent expenditure groups like super PACs over our elections, by ending the kind of collaboration and coordination between candidates and super PACs that has undermined campaign finance systems around the country. 

“Governor Cuomo’s actions today send a bold message — to all 50 state legislatures and Congress — that while the Supreme Court has made reasonable regulation of money in our politics more difficult, determined lawmakers in the state and the federal governments have tools at their disposal to significantly protect the integrity of our campaign finance systems from super PACs and other independent expenditure groups,” said Lawrence Norden, Deputy Director of the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program. “As the Governor noted today, this is one of several reforms, including closing the LLC loophole and introducing a statewide voluntary public financing system, that New York must adopt if we are to restore the people’s faith in government and ensure every voice matters.”

The Brennan Center report After Citizens United: The Story in the States shows that many super PACs involved in state elections cooperate with candidates with virtual impunity. The report recommends several concrete steps that states should take to prevent such cooperation, most of which are included in the Governor’s proposal today.

Read more about the Brennan Center’s work on Money in Politics and New York Reform.

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Naren Daniel at (646) 292–8381 or naren.daniel@nyu.edu