NM Congressional candidate signs pledge condemning corporate money in politics, but will accept corporate dollars in campaign

From Capital Report New Mexico.com - While speaking at the Occupy rally held outside the Roundhouse on the first day of this current 30-day legislative session Tuesday state Sen. Eric Griego (D-Albuquerque) signed what’s called “the 99 pledge” that calls for candidates to “work with particular focus to prevent corporations from directly or indirectly expending money to influence any election.” Griego has been a harsh critic of the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court, which built on an earlier high court decision, Buckley v. Valeo, which said spending money in elections is a form of speech. In the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case in 2010, the high court ruled it unconstitutional to regulate the money spent during elections by corporations and unions. “Money does not equal speech,” Griego told the people taking part in the Occupy rally Tuesday morning after signing the anti-corporations pledge. Corporations are not people … Citizens United needs to be overturned.” But Griego — who is leaving the Roundhouse to run for the US Congress in New Mexico’s First District — told Capitol Report New Mexico that signing the pledge does not mean he won’t accept any corporate donations in his congressional campaign this year. Is that hypocritical? Griego said it isn’t. Read more

NM Congressional candidate signs pledge condemning corporate money in politics, but will accept corporate dollars in campaign