Marcy Kaptur knows we must reign in special interests and has supported legislation to repeal Citizens United, to limit spending in elections, and to improve access to the ballot for candidates.
Support legislation to repeal Citizens United, limit spending in elections, and improve access to the ballot for candidates.
Occurrences
Evidence
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Sponsor: Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9] (Introduced 01/30/2019). The summary states the resolution would make the First Amendment inapplicable to corporate and other business-organizational political spending in elections and would grant Congress and the states power to set limits on contributions and expenditures.
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Sponsor: Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9] (Introduced 01/30/2019). The bill requires broadcasters to make free broadcast time available for political advertising, including at least two hours of free broadcast time to each qualified political candidate in a statewide or national election.
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The bill text states it was designed "to expand Americans' access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, and strengthen ethics rules for public servants." It also includes divisions on voting and campaign finance.
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In the Congressional Record, Kaptur said she was reintroducing the Fairness in Political Advertising Act and that it would level the playing field for viable candidates by requiring television stations to make available free advertising time.
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Kaptur stated on the House floor that she was introducing a constitutional amendment in response to Citizens United and to allow Congress and the states to set ceilings on campaign spending.
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Congress.gov lists H.J.Res.54 as introduced on 2025-02-12, referred to House Judiciary, and still at the Introduced status. It lists Rep. Marcy Kaptur as a cosponsor dated 2025-06-24. The CRS summary says the amendment would restrict constitutional rights to natural persons, allow regulation or prohibition of election contributions and expenditures, require disclosure, and bar courts from treating election spending as First Amendment speech.
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Congress.gov lists H.R.14 as the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025, introduced on 2025-03-05, referred to House Judiciary, and still at the Introduced status. It lists Rep. Marcy Kaptur as an original cosponsor dated 2025-03-05. The CRS summary says the bill would create preclearance rules before certain voting-practice changes take effect and require public notice of voting-practice changes.
Assessments
The promise was framed as supporting legislation, not guaranteeing enactment. Kaptur materially satisfied that action by sponsoring H.J.Res.39 in 2019 to address Citizens United and authorize limits on election contributions and expenditures, and sponsoring H.R.896 in 2019 to improve candidate access to political advertising. Later cosponsorships of H.J.Res.54 and H.R.14 further support the same position, but same-term sponsorship already fulfills the legislative-support pledge. The underlying reforms were not enacted, so the effort badge remains appropriate.
Kaptur materially supported and sponsored legislation matching the pledge during the relevant federal term: she introduced a constitutional amendment aimed at reversing Citizens United-style protections and authorizing limits on election spending, introduced the Fairness in Political Advertising Act to improve candidate access to campaign advertising, and supported broader democracy legislation addressing ballot access and campaign finance. However, the core promised policy outcomes were not enacted into federal law, and Citizens United was not repealed. This warrants partial credit for substantial same-term legislative action, not full delivery.
The promise was framed as supporting legislation, not guaranteeing enactment. In the same term, Kaptur introduced a constitutional amendment aimed at overturning Citizens United-style protections and authorizing limits on campaign contributions and expenditures, introduced legislation to improve candidate access to political advertising, and supported H.R.1, which addressed voting access and campaign finance. These actions substantially match all major parts of the pledged legislative support even though the measures did not become final law.