Earlier this week, Michelle Nunn, the Democratic candidate running for the U.S. Senate seat in Georgia, đã gửi một lá thư to the two Republican candidates in the race asking them to take a “Peach State pledge.” This voluntary agreement, commonly referred to as a People’s Pledge, is negotiated between campaigns and would help eliminate secret out-of-state spending in the race and give more influence to everyday Georgians.

Common Cause and Public Citizen have launched a campaign encouraging congressional and gubenatorial candidates across the country to agree to a People’s Pledge. Such an agreement has many benefits. In addition to reducing secret outside political spending, a People’s Pledge can reduce negative advertising, increase the role of small donors, and give campaigns more control of their message.

A Common Cause Massachusetts báo cáo analyzing the Brown-Warren 2012 Senate race in Massachusetts corroborated these benefits. The study found that secret spending was five times greater in other key Senate races than in the Brown-Warren contest (in which dark money made up only 4% of total spending). Additionally, small donations to candidates outmatched outside spending by a 3-to-1 margin, and the race had less than half as much negative advertising compared to other key Senate races.

Michelle Nunn is the 4th major U.S. Senate candidate to call for a People’s Pledge.  In New Hampshire, Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen has challenged her opponent to agree to a People’s Pledge.  In Kentucky, Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes has repeatedly asked Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to negotiate a pledge.  And in Alaska, Republican Dan Sullivan has asked Senator Mark Begich to take a pledge called an “Alaska Agreement.”