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Campaign Almanac: Democrat Taylor Wettach releases ethics, campaign finance reform plan
Muscatine Democrat argues rivals’ plans fall short in curbing influence of money in politics
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Muscatine Democrat Taylor Wettach on Tuesday rolled out a “trust and integrity” reform plan just days after both Democratic rival Christina Bohannan and Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks advanced their own ethics proposals, escalating the fight over reform in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District race.
Wettach says his plan would root out corruption, curb the influence of wealthy donors and lobbyists, and make the federal government more accountable to voters rather than “the rich and powerful.”
Wettach, a trade and national security lawyer running in the Democratic primary for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, unveiled the plan as both Bohannan and Miller-Meeks have pushed their own ethics proposals in recent days.
“A healthy democracy depends on public trust,” Wettach said in a statement. “People must have confidence that elected officials act in the public interest, that government decisions are made transparently, and — most importantly — that political power cannot be bought or sold.”
He argued that Miller-Meeks prioritized the interests of wealthy donors and large corporations over everyday Iowans — pointing to her opposition to extending enhanced health care tax credits, her support for Medicaid reductions, her backing tax breaks that disproportionately benefit high-income earners and her expressing support for Trump tariffs that had increased costs for farmers and reduced demand for U.S. agriculture exports.
Wettach also said Democratic primary voters “deserve a clear choice,” contending Bohannan’s ethics plan did not go far enough — particularly on campaign finance reform to “crack down on dark money” in politics.
“It’s time for new, independent, principled leadership,” he said in a statement.
His plan includes a long list of proposed changes, including:
- Repealing the Citizens United decision and requiring full donor disclosure from outside spending groups.
- Banning federal candidates from accepting campaign donations from corporate PACs and foreign-owned or foreign-financed companies, lobbyist fundraising and single-candidate super PACs.
- Creating a publicly funded small-dollar matching program for congressional candidates.
- Establishing independent redistricting commissions, opening primaries to all voters and limiting national party influence in primaries.
- Banning stock trading by federal officials and their families, requiring blind trusts, tightening disclosure rules and prohibiting use of shell companies.
- Increasing transparency around earmarks and congressional spending, banning first- and business-class travel, and blocking lawmakers from receiving pay during government shutdowns.
- Imposing term limits and age caps for members of Congress; creating a lifetime lobbying ban for former members, their families and senior staff; requiring disclosure of ghostwritten bills; and creating an independent congressional ethics agency.
Last week, Bohannan — a University of Iowa law professor and former state lawmaker — released her own ethics platform, calling for a ban on stock trading by federal officials and their families and on first- and business-class taxpayer-funded travel, prohibitions on members of Congress paying family members from campaign or office budgets, a lifetime lobbying ban for members and their families and staff, and an independent ethics agency empowered to investigate lawmakers among other proposals. She also supports overturning Citizens United, term limits, age caps and halting congressional pay during shutdowns.
Miller-Meeks, meanwhile, has urged House leaders to advance bipartisan legislation she cosponsored to bar members of Congress and their spouses from trading individual stocks. She said the practice eroded public trust because lawmakers regularly received non-public information and could shape policy affecting markets.
According to their most recent financial disclosures, Miller-Meeks holds no individual stocks, while Bohannan reported owning some technology stocks, but her campaign said she intends to divest if elected.
The race is rated a toss-up by national analysts. Wettach and Travis Terrell, of Tiffin, also are seeking the Democratic nomination, while Miller-Meeks faces a primary challenge from 2024 GOP contender David Pautsch, of Davenport.
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