A New Idea for Undoing Citizens United... Without A Constitutional Amendment (5/15/26)
Hawai'i's new law may be a game-changer. Plus actions against voter suppression this July, four House Republicans who desperately need to be defeated, and more
☎️ A sitting supreme court justice hasn’t lost reelection in Georgia in more than 100 years… we’re going to change that on Tuesday! Phonebank for pro-choice, pro-democracy progressives TODAY at noon and 6PM ET, SATURDAY at 2PM ET, and SUNDAY at 1PM and 4PM ET ☎️
TOO LONG, DIDN’T READ
Hawai’i just passed a law functionally undoing Citizens United, following a fresh new legal strategy - let’s push our legislators and governors to do the same, volunteer to help push this plan forward in Montana and nationally, and signal boost the hell out of this
The next phase of the fight for voting rights starts now - join solidarity events for All Roads Lead to the South tomorrow, help lead voter registration and engagement for Good Trouble Lives On, volunteer with Fair Fight Action
Republicans won’t hold their own accountable, so the voters must – helping vote out Cory Mills, Chuck Edwards, Max Miller and Jen Kiggans
Mifepristone access is safe for now – let’s use this pause to keep spreading the word about available resources for abortion
If you have questions, comments, and especially submissions for actions, please email us at roganslisttips@gmail.com!
My sincere apologies for the length of today’s List - there was a lot to deal with this week.
HAWAI’I JUST BROKE NEW GROUND IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CORPORATE MONEY IN POLITICS
A compromised Supreme Court opened the floodgates with the Citizens United decision, and our democracy has been drowning in corporate money ever since. It’s led to the creation of super PACs which empower the wealthy and the expansion of shadowy nonprofits shaping our politics while hiding who’s behind them. Corporations spent $1.4 billion in the 2024 presidential cycle alone.
Conventional wisdom has it that the only way to end the Citizens United regime is for a future Supreme Court to overturn it or to amend the Constitution – getting two-thirds of both houses of Congress and three-quarters of state legislatures to defy the billionaires and big businesses. But analysts led by Center for American Progress fellow and former FEC lawyer Tom Moore have been pushing an innovative approach to take on corporate power: rewriting state codes to explicitly deny corporations they charter the authority to spend in elections.
It’s legally well-established and uncontroversial that corporations derive their power from the states, and the states can place limits on what they can do. To be more attractive to businesses, most haven’t done much with that power the last century or so. But they can. As Hawai’i state senator Karl Rhoads put it, corporations aren’t people, they’re piles of paper. They’re created by law, and we can change that law if we want to change them.
This idea has taken off. Legislation pursuing this method of end-running Citizens United has been introduced in 15 states (see the list here), and folks in Montana are trying to push it through as a ballot initiative. Hawai’i passed their version, S.B. 2471, nearly unanimously, and yesterday Governor Josh Green signed it into law. This could be a game-changer.
This, to be clear, is not a perfect or complete solution. We are going to see legal challenges against this effort for years to come, in a judicial system stacked with the sort of right-wing judges who caused this mess in the first place. Even if it does stand, it impacts corporations, not individuals - folks like Elon Musk, Ken Griffin, Richard Uihlein and Jeff Yass will still be able to spend what they want. But we’re talking about getting billions out of our elections, the first major disruption to this crooked system. And we’re talking about rejecting the ridiculous idea of “corporate personhood” that has been forced on us by the puppets of the powerful. We are taking power back for regular Americans and restoring a little bit of sanity to politics.
Let’s make sure Hawai’i is just the beginning.
🗣️ We can contact our own legislators and governors and ask them follow the Aloha State’s lead. We can find call scripts here and email language here, or send this message directly using Resistbot by texting SIGN PSIYZJ to 50409. We can also check whether there are bills already introduced in our state we can encourage them to support here. 🗣️
🙋🏽♀️ We can also join the fight to pass it via ballot initiative in Montana. If we’re in the state, we can find out how to add our signature to get it on the ballot here and sign up to volunteer here. The Transparent Election Initiative will also be holding a webinar on Monday at 7PM ET/5PM MT about “the Montana Plan,” emphasizing how supporters across the country can help advance I-194. Let’s sign up to join them here. 🙋🏻♀️
🙋🏿We can get more information and sign up to be part of this movement with the Transparent Election Initiative here. 🙋🏻
🔁 And we can share this video explaining this new approach with our networks. Huge majorities of Americans have long wanted to take our country back from the oligarchs, let’s them know we’ve got a plan! 🔁
THE NEXT PHASE OF THE FIGHT FOR VOTING RIGHTS
It took a multi-generational fight to secure the voting rights protections the Civil Rights Movement ultimately won. It will take a multi-generational fight to fully restore them. The road ahead of us will be long, and the march begins now.
Tomorrow, civil and voting rights groups will gather together for a mass march and rally in Montgomery, Alabama, demonstrating our strength and rededicating ourselves to the fight. There will also be solidarity events in at least 23 states. 🪧 We can find one near us to join here. 🪧
This will mark the beginning of a summer of activism. There’ll be protests at state houses and pressure on legislators as other Southern states charge forward to take advantage of their liberation from the Civil Rights Movement. And we’ll be engaging in the work it takes to build anew.
Activists will be honoring the legacy of John Lewis with the annual Good Trouble Lives On Weekend of Action July 17-19. We’ll be mobilizing folks across the country to register voters, check the status of those at risk of being purged from the rolls, recruit poll workers, and teach their communities about the rights we still have. We’re starting the process of recruiting hosts for this democratic action now.
🙋🏿 If we want to register an event, we can do so here. Events near us will be posted here. 🙋🏻
🙋🏿 If we want to learn more about what they’re asking of hosts and how to help put together a registration drive or canvass or whatever we have in mind, we can join a host call on Thursday, May 21st at 7PM ET here. 🙋🏻
🙋🏿 If we’re ready to commit to joining in teaching and reaching voters near us, we can pledge to be part of it here. 🙋🏻
Want to jump into the fight right away? The non-profit Fair Fight Action is gearing up to fight for voting rights and ensure Black voters aren’t silenced, and they need volunteers both locally in Georgia and remotely for poll watching, interviewing, canvassing, researching changes in election rules and more. ✊🏿 Let’s check them out here and see if we can help! ✊🏽
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THESE HOUSE MEMBERS IS, UNFORTUNATELY, UP TO US
With Trump evading justice so many times, it seems to be harder than ever to hold politicians accountable for anything… especially if they’re in the Republican Party. Too many of them have learned that they can brazen their way through what should be career-ending sins. There may be some uproar, but when push comes to shove MAGA leaders and institutions built on “owning the libs and the lamestream media,” horror at “cancel culture” and backlash to the #MeToo movement daring to bring down creeps won’t punish them.
This has been exacerbated by the narrow margins by which they hold power in Washington. Even Tony Gonzales (R-TX), forced to resign after being caught sexually preying on a staffer, seemed poised to serve out his term until Democratic rep. Eric Swalwell’s crimes were revealed.
There are a number of members of the House of Representatives right now who, in a better world, would face consequences long before they faced the voters. We will be demanding they do. But at this moment we cannot count on that happening. These folks have thoroughly disqualified themselves from public service, and we need to be prepared to take them down at the ballot box.
Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) has a rap sheet extensive enough that even in Mike Johnson’s House there’s a chance he’ll face expulsion:
He’s been accused of obtaining a Bronze Star through stolen valor
He’s been accused of multiple violations of campaign finance laws (which the Office of Congressional Conduct has indicated there is substantial reason to believe)
He’s been accused of making arms deals with both the federal government and foreign countries while a member of Congress (which the Office of Congressional Conduct has indicated there is substantial reason to believe)
Mills is actively under an Ethics Committee investigation and has been this entire Congress. Given the reports that are already public and the judgments already issued against him, it seems perilously clear he does not belong in Congress, and possibly not around other people at all. He retains the total and complete endorsement of Donald Trump. Mills represents an R+5 district, and is likely to face Bale Dalton, a Navy captain and former NASA chief of staff in November. 🗳️ We can sign up to volunteer for Bale here and find him on social media here and here. 🗳️
Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) is under an Ethics Committee investigation as well over accusations of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment, although his is still in an early stage. There have been allegations that he had an affair with a then-staffer, in direct violation of House rules, and that he singled out two young, female staffers for inappropriate attention. Edwards also represents an R+5 district and was a DCCC target long before this news broke. His Democratic opponent will be fourth-generation farmer Jamie Ager. 🗳️ We can sign up to volunteer for Jamie here and follow him on social media here. 🗳️
Mills and Edwards have at least earned their fair share of coverage about their misdeeds. As Mike Nellis has noted, there’s been an oddly muted reaction to Rep. Max Miller (R-OH)’s ex-wife accusing him of physical abuse, including throwing boiling water at her and attacking her in front of their two-year-old child. This is not the first claim of violence by Miller, either. Former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham has also stated he abused her while he was a White House aide. Miller represents an R+5 district that could be vulnerable in a wave year. 🗳️ Let’s show some support for Brian Poindexter, the city councilman and union ironworker who won the Democratic nomination to take him on. We can sign up to volunteer here and find his social media to boost here. 🗳️
Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) is not accused of violence against women. She instead endorsed racist comments directed at House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries during a radio interview, sparking well-deserved calls for her resignation. Kiggans was probably the most vulnerable member on this list already, representing a district Trump won by 0.2% in 2024 and widely seen as a toss-up. Her likely opponent is her predecessor, former congresswoman Elaine Luria. 🗳️ We can find Rep. Luria’s social media here and here and sign up for updates on volunteer opportunities here. 🗳️
Also considered for this list were Reps. Randy Fine (R-FL) and Andy Ogles (R-TN) for their repeated and horrific Islamophobia. Both are in safer districts than the folks above, and in the wake of the post-Callais gerrymanders it is not at all clear who their opponents are likely to be. We will keep monitoring.
ACCESS TO ABORTION MEDICATION PRESERVED WHILE CASE CONTINUES
Yes, there can be good news out of this Supreme Court. The justices granted a stay of the Fifth Circuit ruling targeting access to the abortion drug mifepristone, meaning it will remain available to be prescribed by telehealth and sent by mail while the case works its way through the lower courts. This suit will be back to the Supreme Court eventually, the FDA is continuing a “safety review” of mifepristone, and Clarence Thomas is openly signaling support for the theory that mailing abortion pills is already criminal under the Comstock Act. But for the next few months, this attack on reproductive rights has been stalled. Let’s make sure we’re using the time to get prepared for whatever comes next.
The abortion pill information resource Plan C can keep us informed on how to obtain a medical abortion regardless of the availability of mifepristone. We can even learn how to obtain abortion pills in advance, just in case. 📢 Let’s order free stickers to discretely place in public restrooms to help everyone stay informed about their health care choices. We can also spread the word about trusted sources for finding care like INeedAnA.com (who need more volunteers!), free legal advice available via the Repro Helpline at 844-868-2812, and the clinical advice available from the Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline at 833-246-2632. 📢
Mifepristone’s companion abortion medicine, misoprostol, has not been threatened yet, and given its use for other medical conditions like stomach ulcers it will be much harder for the forced birthers to stop. It can be used to induce miscarriage even without mifepristone. Let’s learn more by reading and sharing this informative article from Katelyn Jetelina.
LEARN HOW TO HOST A FREEDOM VIGIL
As frightening as what we’re seeing in our streets is, we can never forget the most dangerous part of the deportation machine is behind closed doors. There have been at least 18 deaths in the detention camps so far this year, reports of staff violence against detainees have climbed sharply, and we’ve seen disease outbreaks, sexual violence and truly disgusting, inhumane conditions. Our resistance to Trump’s thugs needs to be present and visible at these sites.
On MONDAY at 8:00PM ET, the Workers Circle is holding a movement call on one tactic for doing so: freedom vigils. They’ve been leading them for more than 40 weeks at “Alligator Alcatraz,” and they’ve played a key role in helping keep the public eye on those being held there. We’ll hear from organizers on best practices and lessons they’ve learned running these vigils across the country and get plugged in with support for setting up our own. 🕯️ We can sign up to join the call here. 🕯️
POWER MAPPING TO STOP DATA CENTERS
There are still things that bring our divided nation together, and one of them is resistance to data centers. A recent Gallup poll showed 71% of Americans would oppose the construction of one in our area, including 63% of Republicans, 74% of independents and 75% of Democrats. Support in Virginia, which has the world’s highest concentration of data centers, support fell from 69% in 2023 to 35% now. This is a fight we have the support to win, even against the massive financial resources of Big Tech. Heatmap reports we’ve already seen at least 20 of these projects canceled due to local pushback in the first quarter of 2026.
But as we’ve seen in Utah, public anger on its own isn’t necessarily enough to stop these projects. We need to be able to harness it to influence the decision-makers who can really make a difference. Food & Water Action wants to help us do it. 🏫 On Wednesday at 8PM ET, they’re holding a training on power mapping in the data center fight – teaching us how to identify who should be pressured and how. We can sign up to join them here. 🏫
We can also find an organizing guide on the costs of data centers and strategies advocates have used to fight back on a local and regional level from the Kairos Center here.
👀 KEEPING AN EYE ON… 👀
NEWS: Senate parliamentarian rules funding for Border Patrol, supplemental funding for DHS violate reconciliation rules, forcing overhaul of deportation funding
NEWS: Banking Committee advances crypto bill that undermines investor protections, allows Trump’s grift on 15-9 vote (Ruben Gallego, Angela Alsobrooks joining Republicans) - tell your senators to block it on the floor
NEWS: All of a sudden, Maryland senate president is open to new congressional maps - scripts and language to push for action here, find how to support his primary challenger in the event he sells us out again here
NEWS: CIA director meets with Cuban leadership in Havana, as officials warn “negotiation window will not stay open indefinitely,” surveillance flights increases and Justice Department moves towards indictment of Raul Castro - demand reps say no to a war
NEWS: FBI director’s work trip including military-arranged “VIP snorkel” around wreck of USS Arizona - Patel must go
NEWS: Border patrol chief resigns weeks after reports of sexual impropriety emerge
Four days until the Georgia Supreme Court election - find ways to help here
Looking for ways to get engaged in the midterms? Here’s a full list!
Upcoming fights in Congress - oppose $70 billion for the deportation machine, $1 billion for Trump’s ballroom, a Farm Bill preserving food assistance cuts, continued warrantless wiretapping, continuing the Iran war
Republicans are trying to redraw district lines to steal these midterms - demand blue states fight fire with fire, push Virginia to keep up the fight for the fair maps we voted for ️
Project Salt Box reports ICE aims to start contracts for co-working spaces in June - see if your community is on the target list, push owners and agents not to deal with them
REI union calls for an anniversary sale boycott starting TODAY, through May 25th
We can’t let anyone forget the kids in Dilley - join the #ReadThemHome campaign and organize a stuffed animal drop-off Wednesday
Submit public comments against “warnings” of trans-related content on TV before May 22nd
Support the Starbucks workers union in encouraging customers to delete the app May 23rd, take the #NoContractNoCoffee pledge
De-ICE Citizens Bank coalition day of action at branches nationwide June 6th - find a protest near us or organize our own
Get Free, 50501 hold All of U.S. 250 mobilizations nationwide June 27th
Trump has weaponized the FCC to silence dissent - Democrats should oppose funding his censorship
Public Citizen identifies 446 hospitals at risk thanks to the MAGA murder budget, let’s make sure folks in our community know we’re in danger and who’s to blame
Join the National Trust for Historic Preservation in lobbying against Trump’s vanity “national arch”
Call on the DNC to release the full results of their 2024 election autopsy
The first rent strike in almost five decades is underway in Montana - donate to support their strike fund
If corporations are people, they get one vote - like the rest of us.