Summary
Citizens United opened the floodgates for billionaires and corporations to drown out the voices of everyday Missourians. Our elections became auctions, not conversations. I’m running to end it and put power back where it belongs — with the people.
By Ricky Dana, Candidate for U.S. House – Missouri’s 4th District
What Citizens United Did
🔎The ruling treated corporate spending as protected “speech,” unleashing unlimited independent expenditures by super PACs and dark-money groups that can drown out the voices of everyday Missourians.
Why It’s Bad for Missouri
- Arms race of dollars instead of a contest of ideas.
- Mega-donor megaphones while working families get sidelined.
- Dark-money ad blitzes with little transparency about who is behind them.
- Trust erosion: people question whether their vote matters when a few wealthy actors buy more influence than entire neighborhoods.
My Values: People Over Corporate Cash
Let me be clear: Citizens United was a disaster for our democracy. I refuse to let Missouri families be sold off to the highest bidder. Elections should be decided by people, not by piles of corporate cash.
Why I’m Fighting
I grew up here in Missouri — around farm families and small businesses. They don’t have a fleet of lobbyists or a billionaire checkbook. They have a voice and a vote. Citizens United tried to drown that out. I won’t stand for it. I’ll never take lobbyist gifts, I’ll never sell my vote, and I’ll never let a corporation write Missouri’s future.
Real Fixes I’ll Push
- Overturn Citizens United — support constitutional and legislative paths to restore common-sense limits.
- End dark money — comprehensive disclosure so voters know who is speaking and why.
- Power small donors — explore matching systems that lift grassroots voices.
- Ban lobbyist gifts and tighten conflict-of-interest rules.
Be Part of the Solution
✅Missourians can take our democracy back. When we organize, we win — even against unlimited money.
Bottom line: Democracy is not for sale. It belongs to the people who live in our towns, work our fields, and build our communities — not to corporate balance sheets.
— Ricky Dana
Sources:
U.S. Supreme Court – Citizens United v. FEC (January 21, 2010)
Oyez case summary – Citizens United v. FEC
FEC – Independent expenditures & super PAC spending
OpenSecrets – Dark Money: Outspending and disclosure trends
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