How Can We Stop Billionaires from Controlling Our Democracy?

Billionaires like Elon Musk aren’t just accumulating wealth—they’re buying unchecked influence in our government. And while Musk may be the most egregious example, this isn’t a new problem. For decades, billionaires have used their money to tip the scales in their favor, often at the expense of everyday Americans.

After pouring over $290 million into electing Trump and other Republicans, Musk is now acting like the unelected CEO of our country. He has no accountability, no ethics rules to follow, and certainly no mandate from the American people. But while billionaires are trying to take control of our democracy, there is reason to hope: We can stop them, and the fight starts in the states.

What Is Common Cause Doing to Fight Big Money in Politics?

For years, Common Cause has been proving that organized people can beat organized money. By mobilizing grassroots power, we have blocked billionaire-backed power grabs and passed meaningful reforms that rein in big money. Here are some of the major victories we’ve won across the country:

• Nguyên nhân chung của California led the charge to pass one of the strongest anti-disinformation laws in the country, holding social media companies accountable for election lies, including AI-generated disinformation designed to mislead voters. Musk is so desperate to protect his power that he’s suing to block this law.2
• Nguyên nhân chung Ohio led and won the fight against 2023’s Issue 1 – an out-of-state funded attempt to make it harder for voters to pass pro-democracy ballot measures. With your help, we went all out mobilizing our members and educating the public to defeat it.3
• Nguyên nhân chung Michigan played a key role in implementing Proposal 1, the state’s first-ever financial disclosure law, exposing conflicts of interest and revealing who’s influencing our lawmakers.4
• Nguyên nhân chung Bắc Carolina is taking on extreme gerrymandering and voter suppression pushed by ultra-rich donors trying to keep corporate-backed politicians in power. We’ve already sued to stop these attacks—and we’ll see them in court this summer.5
• Nguyên nhân chung Maryland has been working alongside our allies to expand public campaign financing throughout the state, ensuring more candidates can run without relying on wealthy donors. And we’ve made great progress—by next year, six jurisdictions that make up more than half of Maryland’s registered voters will have fully implemented small donor programs!6
• Nguyên nhân chung Oregon made big progress last year, passing the state’s first campaign contribution limits in decades. Once this historic victory is fully implemented, it will significantly scale back the influence of wealthy donors, a big leap forward toward ensuring that Oregon’s government works for the people—not big money interests.7
• Nguyên nhân chung Florida took on big money—and won. We helped defeat a constitutional amendment that tried to gut public campaign financing, protecting a system that enables everyday people—not just the wealthy—to run for office and represent their communities.8
• Cause Georgia took the fight against dark money to court—suing the FEC in 2021 for failing to enforce campaign finance laws. And guess what? We won! Our case forced the FEC to fine the Georgia Republican Party for illegally coordinating with outside groups.9

The bottom line? Billionaires and special interests want to buy elections, write the rules, and rig the system in their favor. But together, we are proving they can be stopped.

Common Cause has been leading this fight for decades, and in state after state, we’re securing real victories to rein in big money and protect our democracy. This year, we are doubling down on our work—pushing for stronger campaign finance laws, holding billionaires accountable, and ensuring that our government represents the people, not the ultra-wealthy.

Our message is clear: When we organize, we win.

Learn More:

1. Musk’s Political Contributions: FEC Individual Contributions Data
2. California: Musk’s Lawsuit Against California’s Anti-Disinformation Law
3. Ohio: Issue 1 and the Fight for Direct Democracy
4. Michigan: Proposal 1 and Financial Disclosure Reforms
5. North Carolina: Federal Redistricting Lawsuit Update
6. Tiểu bang Maryland: Expanding Public Campaign Financing
7. Oregon: Historic Campaign Finance Reform
8. Florida: Defeating Amendment 6 and Protecting Public Financing
9. Gruzia: Common Cause Georgia’s Lawsuit Against the FEC