Common Cause of Connecticut is spending $20 million on state legislative races

A Democratic Group Pours $20 Million Into State Legislative Races

A Democratic group that is spending heavily in state legislative races is the largest outside expenditure in any state legislative cycle since the 1970s. The group is spending $20 million on state legislative races in 2014 alone; the total over multiple gubernatorial races. The group, Common Cause of Connecticut, is co-sponsoring a bill that would amend the Connecticut constitution to prevent certain forms of corporate political spending for the first time, but the bills have divided Democrats and rank-and-file legislators.

The group has been getting involved in the state of Connecticut for over a decade with the goal of “keeping government honest.” The group has already given $75,000 to U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman in 2008, and has spent more than $1 million in a short time in the state to be involved in the legislative races.

As the group has increased its involvement, more and more Democrats have become involved and more Democrats have joined the group including several who are running for higher office.

“They are going after state legislative races and they are going after our public education,” said U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney. “And the way they are going after it is by attacking their public education program.”

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro and U.S. Rep. John Larson joined Courtney and others in voicing their opposition to the legislation.

“I have a great deal of respect for the leaders of Connecticut’s public education system,” said U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro. “They have put up with an enormous share of the financial challenges of building a system of education. It’s why they have been able to survive the past five years and make the commitment to transform the way education is delivered in this state: to bring it closer to the way all public schools are now.”

DeLauro said they want the law to “respect the authority of the people in this state,”

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