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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