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Writer's pictureAlex Kawa

Fundraiser for California Rep. Says, "I'll never put TJ on the phone with a corporate PAC." Really?


TJ Cox is a Democratic representative for California's 21st congressional district. He was elected in 2018, narrowly defeating Republican incumbent David Valadao, after running a campaign that included a promise to not take any corporate PAC money, saying in a statement..

“There are few greater threats to our democracy than the outsized and pervasive influence of big money in politics. I will not accept any campaign contributions from corporate PACs, and I am proud to stand with End Citizens United and grateful to receive their endorsement. Together, we are going to take back Congress, work to overturn the disastrous Citizens United decision, and restore integrity to our democratic processes.”

Throughout his re-election campaign, Cox and his campaign have continued to bring up this talking point, with the campaign's finance director, Jared Lapidus , sending an email to supporters on Thursday with the headline, "I'll never put TJ on the phone with a corporate PAC. " Lapidus goes on to say...

"As TJ’s fundraiser, I can assure that we’ll never (ever) put TJ on the phone with a corporation to raise cash. We don’t do things the Valadao way." [Valadao is seeking a rematch against Cox.]
"Our strength is in our grassroots supporters. It's how we flipped this seat in 2018 despite long odds. And we can do it again if we all dig a little deeper."

However, this statement from Lapidus is just not true. Despite his promise to shun corporate PAC money, Cox has taken $126,400 from them throughout this election. The sector that has contributed the most in corporate PAC money to Cox, $78,900, is agribusiness. In this sector, his top corporate donors are American Crystal Sugar ($10,000) and Michigan Sugar ($6,500).


In addition to breaking his pledge to take no money from corporate PACs, Cox has also failed to live up to his promise to stand up to what he calls "the outsized and pervasive influence of big money in politics," as he has taken a total of $13,286 from lobbyists throughout both of his campaigns ($8,972 in 2020, and $4,314 in 2018).


As evidenced by him going back on his words to denounce corporate PAC donations, his accepting money from lobbyists, it appears as if Cox is just another standard politician: one who campaigns, at first, against the corruption and special interests in Washington, only to become part of it once they get there. Sadly, this accurately describes too many members of Congress today, and as long as people like Cox keep succumbing to the special interests, it will continue to do so.

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