Cleaning Up Politics

The system is broken. Corruption is rampant, and too much power is concentrated in the hands of billionaire donors, party bosses, and special interests — and not enough in the hands of regular people.

Too many politicians in DC and Des Moines have sold out to the highest bidder and treated their positions as a way to get rich. Take Rep. Ashley Hinson, whose net worth quadrupled to over $5 million during her first four years in office. Her campaign finance reports show lavish spending on lavish $400 dinners at oyster bars and five-star restaurants in Washington, DC.

Until we get money out of politics and elect people of integrity, it's going to be nearly impossible to solve anything else. While many candidates have anti-corruption plans, here’s what makes mine different: I’m making concrete, personal commitments to go along with it. I am the only candidate in this race who has been certified by the Political Integrity Project for my commitment to reforming how money influences politics.

Here’s my plan:

End to politics as a lifetime career: Too many politicians feel entitled to hold onto power as long as they please, and often party insiders do everything they can to protect them and prevent change. It's time for an honest conversation about term limits and exploring what real reform could look like. I also support a mandatory retirement age for members of Congress. Many CEOs, public servants, and clergy, including pastors in my own denomination, have mandatory retirement age, and Congress should too.

My Personal Pledge: I will serve for a maximum of eight years and retire from any public office by the age of 72. And while serving, I will be an independent voice that votes to represent Iowans rather than taking my lead from party bosses.

Ban politicians from profiting from insider information: If you're making the laws, you shouldn't be able to profit from insider information about which laws will pass and where the markets might move. I will fight to pass a ban on stock trading by members of Congress, their families and senior staff while in office. I will also support banning members, their staff, and other government officials from gambling on prediction markets while serving.

My Personal Pledge: I will place all individual stocks, bonds, and other investment assets into a qualified blind trust while serving in Congress, and I will never place a bet on a prediction market.

Personal financial transparency: While Members of Congress are required to file a financial disclosure, there are still loopholes that allow them to obscure their wealth and hide the ways they profit from office. We need to tighten disclosure rules for Members of Congress, their families and senior staff.

My Personal Pledge: Every year I will release my tax returns and a full, detailed list of my assets and liabilities.

Get dark money out of politics: The Citizens United Supreme Court decision opened the floodgates to unlimited, undisclosed money in our elections. We need to end it.

My Personal Pledge: I will fight to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and give our democracy back to the people.

Get corporate money out of politics: Corporations have way too much power over our politics. Corporate executives funnel money to politicians through corporate PACs and use their donations to buy access and earn favors. Politicians from both sides of the aisle have long accepted this practice as part of the game, and almost all of the other candidates running for this seat have taken thousands of dollars in corporate PAC contributions. I’m not playing along; this has to change.

My Personal Pledge: I will never accept contributions from any corporate PAC or operate a leadership PAC that accepts corporate money.

Close the revolving door: Too many members of Congress leave office and immediately go to work as lobbyists for the same corporations they were regulating. Clint will fight to ban that practice and end the cozy relationship between government and powerful special interests.

My Personal Pledge: I will never become a corporate lobbyist after leaving office, and I will work to pass at least a two-year ban on direct lobbying after leaving Congress that applies to members, senior staff, and their spouses.

My commitment to the common good: Public service should be about serving your neighbors and doing good, full stop. We deserve leaders who are motivated by their commitment to the people they serve rather than growing their wealth and advancing their career.

My Personal Pledge: I will give away at least 10% of my income to nonprofit causes in northeast Iowa and publicly release where that money has gone.