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Encourage ethics reform as a nonpartisan cause with electoral benefits for supporters.
Build cross-partisan alliances that make ethics reform politically rewarding and opposition politically risky. This strategy organizes credible validators and constituent pressure so reforms like a stock trading ban and protected oversight funding become vote-relevant rather than “nice to have.”
Why this works
- If members become convinced that championing ethics reforms (like a stock ban) is a savvy political move that will earn voter goodwill or if they fear being attacked by opponents for opposing it, they might proactively support it.
- So, strategies include: encouraging candidates to make it a campaign issue (as several 2022 challengers did, successfully pressuring incumbents).
- Using cross-partisan groups like Issue One’s ReFormers Caucus or bipartisan former officials to lobby current members could provide cover (“this isn’t a partisan stunt, it’s good governance – look, even former Republican lawmakers support it”).
- When a party perceives corruption as a vulnerability (e.g.
- Democrats after lobbying scandals in mid-2000s, Republicans after recent incidents), they sometimes push reform to claim the high ground.
- So the strategy is to make ethics a vote-moving issue in voters’ minds.
National Taxpayers Union (NTU) is a conservative-leaning advocacy group founded in 1969 that advocates for lower taxes, reduced government spending, and free-market economic policies. NTU often opposes tariffs and trade barriers that it views as hidden taxes on consumers:. The organization lobbies Congress and engages its members to support fiscally conservative measures, publishes scorecards on lawmakers’ votes, and occasionally partners across the aisle on issues like government transparency.
Mechanism
How National Taxpayers Union uses funding
- Recruit and align a cross-partisan set of validators around specific, achievable ethics reforms.
- Train volunteers and messengers to communicate the reforms in plain language and keep pressure consistent.
- Plan coordinated actions timed to decision points such as committee movement, rules votes, and appropriations.
- Build coalitions that connect reform groups, former officials, and local constituents to expand leverage.
- Convert pressure into outcomes by tracking commitments and holding offices accountable publicly.
Partner notes
Partner notes coming soon.