Received this e-mail today from U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown’s (D. OH) re-election campaign:
This might be a surprise to you, but in terms of political spending, Cleveland’s TV market is the second-biggest in the country.
Bigger than New York, bigger than Chicago, bigger than every American city other than Los Angeles. Columbus, Ohio sees a similar spike in outside spending every election year.
The reasons are obvious: Ohio is a swing state, and conservatives have been allying with outside groups for a long time to blanket our state’s airwaves with factually-challenged attack ads. And since those ads are paid for by shell groups that don’t disclose their donors, the people behind the ads -- and the candidates who benefit from them -- get all of the upside and none of the accountability.
This system of secrecy also opens us up to the possibility that foreign entities -- corporations, governments, or nationals -- could spend money to influence our elections.
Citizens United opened the floodgates. It’s our job to close them. Supporting the DISCLOSE Act is an important step we need to take. Today, I'm teaming up with some of my colleagues to gather grassroots support.
Join us by signing our petition. Demand accountability and transparency in our elections.
With gratitude,
Sherrod