1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to support legislation that would regulate or outlaw dark money spending in politics and require full transparency in political advocacy organizations. The recent announcement of Senator Josh Hawley and Erin Hawley's Love Life Initiative highlights the urgent need for reform in how political organizations operate and disclose their funding sources. Dark money groups like this new initiative can raise and spend unlimited amounts without disclosing their donors, allowing wealthy individuals and special interests to influence policy debates and elections while hiding behind organizational names. This lack of transparency undermines democratic accountability and prevents voters from knowing who is funding the political messages they see, including planned national advertising campaigns and even Super Bowl advertisements. When political figures launch advocacy organizations that operate in the shadows, it becomes impossible for constituents to evaluate potential conflicts of interest or understand whose interests are truly being served. Senator Hawley holds significant power as an elected official, and his wife Erin Hawley serves as senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom. Their new organization plans to influence state ballot measures and policy debates across multiple states, starting with Missouri's constitutional amendment on abortion and gender-affirming care. Voters deserve to know exactly who is funding these efforts. I urge you to cosponsor and support legislation that would require all political advocacy organizations to disclose their donors, regardless of their tax status. This should include real-time reporting of contributions over a reasonable threshold and clear identification of funding sources in all political advertisements. Such transparency would not restrict free speech but would ensure that speech is accountable. Our democracy functions best when citizens can make informed decisions based on complete information about who is trying to influence their votes and their representatives. I ask that you prioritize campaign finance reform that brings dark money into the light.