The grassroots organizations End Citizens United (ECU) and Let America Vote (LAV) endorsed President Biden’s reelection campaign Thursday, the combined group first told The Hill.
End Citizens United, which advocates for curtailing the power of outside money in politics, and Let America Vote, which is focused on fighting voter suppression, said their endorsement for Biden and Vice President Harris is due to their dedication to voting rights legislation.
Legislation such as the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act aim to end the dominance of big money in politics and partisan gerrymandering and strengthen ethics rules, but have been stagnant in the GOP-controlled House after bipartisan negotiations fell apart last Congress.
“Our democracy is facing a clear and present danger––one that demands our collective attention and commitment to action,” ECU and LAV president Tiffany Muller told The Hill in a statement. “The rise of Republican election denialism, dark money groups, and corruption threaten the very foundation of our nation. President Biden and Vice President Harris share these concerns and have consistently championed reforms to address these critical issues.”
Their endorsement comes as the bipartisan group No Labels has floated the idea of a third-party candidate to take on Biden and former President Trump, the current Republican front-runner, in the 2024 race.
No Labels has been widely criticized as a “dark money” organization that is backed by corporate donations, and Muller last week bashed the group in an op-ed for “setting up a new political party as a dark money group.” Some Democrats also fear a third-party candidate would take more votes away from Biden than Trump.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris have dedicated their careers to public service and championing middle-class families. Their North Star is always what’s best for the American people and our democracy—unlike MAGA Republicans who continue to serve special interests, corporations, and the ultra-wealthy,” Biden-Harris 2024 campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement first obtained by The Hill.
Rodriguez added that Biden and Harris “are honored to be endorsed by End Citizens United (ECU) and proud to continue the fight for a stronger, more transparent democracy for all.”
ECU and LAV also endorsed Biden for president in 2020. Biden has said he would work to overturn the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which lifted restrictions on independent expenditures to political campaigns by corporations, and that he would institute automatic and same-day voter registration and incentivize states to automatically restore voting rights for felons who have served their time.