Warren Reverses Position on Super PACs

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in North Las Vegas, Nevada on Feb. 20, 2020. David Becker/Getty Images

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who has repeatedly called on rivals to disavow super PACs supporting them, on Thursday declined to disavow a new super PAC that’s supporting her.

Asked on the campaign trail in Nevada whether she'd disavow the support, Warren told reporters that she’s come to the point that she can’t unless other candidates do too.

“I couldn’t get a single Democrat to go along with me. Finally, we reached the point a few weeks ago where all of the men who were still in this race and on the debate stage all had either super PACs or they were multi-billionaires and could just rummage around in their sock drawers and find enough money to be able to fund a campaign, and the only people who didn’t have them were the two women,” she said, referring to her and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).

At that point, Warren said, some women said that the situation wasn’t right.

“So here’s where I stand: If all candidates want to get rid of super PACs, count me in. I'll lead the charge. But that’s how it has to be. It can’t be the case that a bunch of people keep them and only one or two don’t,” Warren added.

Democratic presidential candidates (L-R) former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) arrive on stage for the Democratic presidential primary debate in Las Vegas, Nev., on Feb. 19, 2020. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Warren has long called for rivals to not accept support from super PACs and wouldn’t grant face time to large donors. “We have a problem in this country: Money has too much influence on our political leaders,” she wrote in a blog post last year.

Warren’s campaign website states that she “doesn’t take any money from PACs or federal lobbyists” and “rejects super PACs.”

“Elizabeth rejects the help of Super PACs and would disavow any Super PAC formed to support her in the Democratic primary,” the site states.

Super PACs are a political action committee that can raise unlimited sums of money and then spend money, with no limit, to advocate for or against political candidates.

“Unlike traditional PACs, super PACs are prohibited from donating money directly to political candidates, and their spending must not be coordinated with that of the candidates they benefit,” according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Persist PAC, the new super PAC, bought over $1 million in television and radio ads in Nevada, a spokesman told Axios, adding: “Senator Warren is the best candidate to take on Donald Trump and win, and we’re going to ensure primary voters and caucus-goers hear her message.” Another new super PAC, Kitchen Table Conversations PAC, is supporting Klobuchar.

The Nevada Democratic caucuses are slated to take place on Feb. 22.