PRESS RELEASE
ECU's Anti-Corruption Coalition is Poised to Flip Majority-Making Seats Across the Country
Control of the House and Senate will be determined by candidates on ECU’s Unrig Washington program
End Citizens United (ECU) entered the 2026 cycle making the case that Democrats needed to confront Washington corruption and connect the influence of corporate and billionaire donors to the rising costs facing Americans. Now, on the eve of Election Day, the anti-corruption agenda ECU championed is at the center of Democrats’ efforts to retake the House and Senate.
While Democrats searched for answers following the 2024 election, ECU identified voters’ frustration early on and it shaped the organization’s strategy for the entire cycle. Voters were fed up with a political system that puts wealthy donors and corporate interests ahead of working families, and they wanted candidates to do something about it. ECU saw an opportunity to make anti-corruption a rallying issue for the party to retake power in Washington. It was an agenda that could unite Democrats across the spectrum, from progressives to centrists, and longtime incumbents to first-time challengers.
ECU turned that argument into action with Unrig Washington, a program that brought together over 300 Democrats around three commitments: rejecting corporate PAC money, supporting a ban on congressional stock trading, and fighting to end dark money. It was the largest coalition in progressive politics this year, and the most candidates ever running without taking corporate PAC money in their campaigns. The coalition includes candidates in the most competitive battlegrounds, putting Unrig Washington at the center of Democrats’ efforts to retake congressional majorities.
Along with working directly with dozens of campaigns on messaging, strategy, and events, ECU provided more than $5 million in support to candidates up and down the ballot this cycle through direct contributions, bundling donations, and ad campaigns — surpassing its 2024 presidential election year total. ECU worked directly with candidates to develop and amplify their anti-corruption messages through earned media, 56 town halls and events across the country, over 75,000 miles traveled, and 63 Substack Lives. Along with its candidate support, ECU backed ballot initiatives focused on reform in Michigan and Montana.
As voters head to the polls, ECU’s coalition includes reform candidates from congressional battlegrounds to statewide and downballot races:
15 Unrig Washington Senate candidates
131 Unrig Washington House candidates
29 Democrats on the DCCC’s Red to Blue program, which makes up nearly 60% of the program
36 endorsed statewide candidates
145 total endorsed federal candidates
In the final stretch of the election, major national polling followed the concerns ECU identified early in the cycle. The October CNBC All-America Economic Survey found government corruption topping the list of voters’ most important issues at 36%, compared with 34% who cited the cost of food and groceries. An October Fox News poll found government corruption at the top of voters’ concerns with 60% of voters extremely concerned, followed by inflation (58%) and gas prices (50%).
The stakes are higher than ever as record amounts of money have poured into the 2026 midterms. Estimated ad spending is reaching $11.6 billion. Over $1 billion in dark money has poured in, drowning voters in misleading content. Corporate spending by individuals and PACs reached $737 million, an all-time record that amounts to 40% of all corporate spending since Citizens United came down in 2010. Total outside spending this cycle reached nearly $2 billion as special interests like Big Tech and Big Pharma sought to dominate the airwaves. And political contributions are increasingly consolidated among the ultrawealthy, with Elon Musk donating a record $446 million and the top 50 donors accounting for $2.8 billion in spending on the 2026 midterms. However, voters have mobilized this year in a backlash to that money. They are recognizing the impacts of government corruption in their everyday lives, from higher costs to unfair tax rates, and rewarding candidates who pledge to take on the rigged system.
Nearly two years after ECU made the case that anti-corruption could unite Democrats, the issue has emerged as the central theme in races that will determine control of Congress. If Democrats succeed on Election Day, they will have a mandate to follow through on their campaign promises to fight for meaningful reforms to curb the corruption and lack of accountability in Washington.
ECU President Tiffany Muller will be available for comment as election results come in this week. Please contact bawadden@endcitizensunited.org to request an interview.
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For 11 years, End Citizens United (ECU) has been dedicated to combating the two biggest challenges facing our democracy: the corrosive impact of Big Money in politics and attempts to block access to the ballot box. Since its founding in 2015, ECU has had over 1.4 million donors with an average donation of just $14. The group has more than four million members nationwide and is one of the nation’s leading anti-corruption organizations.