As he weighs whether to seek re-election to the House or challenge for U.S. Sen. Edward Markey's seat, U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III announced Thursday that he will not accept campaign funding from corporate political action committees.
Kennedy said "lax campaign finance laws and an Administration bent to the will of corporations" have highlighted concerns about the influence large businesses have on government. The issue, he said, is a growing priority among his constituents.
"Political donations have never influenced my votes or policy positions," Kennedy said. "But even the appearance of such conflict is unacceptable in today’s political system. The voices of the people I represent, and those voices alone, are the ones I seek to amplify, respond to and represent."
In February, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern pledged to reject corporate PAC money, following fellow Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Lori Trahan and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
In the 2017-18 election cycle, Kennedy raised a total of about $4.5 million. According to analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, $701,000 came from business PACs, though some of those represent groups of corporations or industries rather than a single company's political committee.
Kennedy has been publicly eyeing a primary race against Markey. He said last week that he has not yet made up his mind whether to continue his House re-election campaign or jump into the Senate race, which already features declared Democratic challengers Shannon Liss-Riordan and Steve Pemberton, though he did organize a Senate campaign committee.
Roll Call reported in April that candidates who take the pledge can still receive corporate dollars through other means.
