This week, a billionaire gave a $10 million donation to a Republican candidate who is consistently polling third in a U.S. Senate primary.

There may be no better example of the way the Citizens United vs. FEC decision has put money at the forefront of our politics than Elon Musk’s donation to a pro-Nate Morris Super PAC.

Today marks the sixteenth anniversary of Citizens United.

In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Citizen United vs FEC drastically changed money in politics. The ruling allows wealthy individuals, corporations, and special interest groups to donate unlimited money to influence elections with no restrictions.

Here are 3 ways Citizens United decision has made our politics worse in the last 16 years:

1) Super PACs rule everything in campaign spending.

As a result of the decision, the ultrawealthy create Super PACs, a type of Political Action Committee, able to accept unlimited money and spend it to influence election outcomes through independent spending, allowing for unrestricted money to flow into politics.

Elon Musk donated a quarter of a million dollars to PACs supporting President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign. This was the largest donation to a political entity in the 2024 election and it was made by the richest person in the world.  

2) Billionaires stand with President Trump, not the American people.

Remember who had a literal front row seat at the 2024 Inauguration? 

Americans deserve a government that works for them, not the just the wealthy and well-connected who can buy their influence in Washington or in state capitals.

Politicians need to work for the interest of bettering the lives of the American people, no matter the size of their wallet. 

3) A billionaire can play shadow president.

Billionaires buying their way into power and advancing their self-serving agendas at everyone else’s expense is nothing new.

Last year we saw Elon Musk, an unelected bureaucrat, use his wealth to gain access to and influence the oval office.

DOGE, led by Musk, was working to dismantle government systems that regulate his businesses to enrich himself, not the American people.

We could not let this stand. In 2025, Common Cause led the successful campaign to fire Elon Musk. This reflected our goal of holding power accountable.  

How can we fix this?

We need to demand sensible restrictions on political spending.

According to Pew Research, 59% of Americans support reducing the influence of money in politics. This is not a partisan issue, this is a corruption issue.

We must demand our lawmakers reject big money from special interest groups or billionaires. They must pass legislation to put restrictions on spending in politics to avoid corruption and to restore financial transparency.

Billionaires should not be able to buy influence in Washington.

What can I do about it?

So far, 19 states have called for a constitutional amendment to reverse the impacts of Citizens United.

Join Common Cause across the country in holding power accountable by advocating to amend our constitution to restrict money in politics.

Sign our Petition to call on Congress to end Citizens United and pass the Freedom to Vote Act and DISCLOSE Act.