McGovern Is Latest Mass. Democrat To Swear Off Corporate PAC Donations

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern will no longer accept campaign donations from corporate political committees, a move he said reflects the wishes of his constituents.

McGovern announced his pledge in a town hall meeting in Northampton on Saturday with Tiffany Muller, the president of the campaign finance reform group End Citizens United.

Muller said McGovern, throughout his career, has been "a fierce advocate for reforming the rigged system and making government work for the people."

"By rejecting corporate PAC money, he's proving that he's only accountable to Massachusetts families, not corporate special interests with business before Congress," she said in a statement.

In a CNN op-ed, McGovern said dozens of members of Congress, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Lori Trahan, have made similar decisions.

"Over the past year, I've been asked by my constituents whether I would stop taking corporate PAC money for my campaign. I'll be honest — at first, I was reluctant to consider such a big change," McGovern wrote. "And it's important to state that I've never let a donation from anyone influence my vote. If corporate PACs have tried to buy my vote by cutting me a campaign check, they've ended up with a low return on their so-called investment. My voting record speaks for itself. Still, I was hesitant that I would put myself at a disadvantage against a well-funded opponent."

The Worcester Democrat's campaign committee took in more than $1.17 million in contributions during the 2017-2018 election cycle, including $5,000 contributions from PACs affiliated with Raytheon, Dell Technologies, an the American Crystal Sugar Company.