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Center for Political Accountability

The Center for Political Accountability is a non-partisan, non-profit advocacy organization leading the only successful effort that is achieving corporate political disclosure and accountability. As a non-government organization (NGO), CPA works outside the political system. With prospects nil for legislative or regulatory fixes nationally, CPA has developed an innovative strategy that enlists the cooperation of companies themselves by demonstrating the business value of spending transparency.


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​Michael Bridgford

Michael Bridgford campaigning

Independent Underdog Tours Iowa as Voters Seek Common‑Sense Change

Eight cities in eight different counties, all in one week. When we talk about cities in Iowa’s First Congressional District, keep in mind most are county seats with populations that often don’t reach 7,000. In the closing months of a political campaign in southeastern Iowa, chatter in those towns and cities centers on the cost of living, farmers' struggles, and the hot-button issue of data centers.

Michael Bridgford is tireless, but the challenge is daunting. I met him over lunch last spring when he was first considering a run. A long-time friend met him at a conference and told Michael he would connect him to a guy who won a long-shot campaign. I’m that guy. Running as a Republican, I upset a 32-year incumbent in deep-blue Madison, Wisconsin.

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US money being cut by a scissor
A pair of scissors cutting a continuous strip of one hundred dollar bills
Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash

Self-Interested Elite Supremacy, 1776 to 2026, and a Path Forward

For 250 years, U.S. elites have maintained supremacy by embedding self-interest into the nation’s foundational structures, translating economic power into political dominance. From the plantation economy and the Gilded Age to modern corporate lobbying, wealth consolidation has consistently undermined democratic equality to favor the ruling class.

This trajectory of elite control and self-interest unfolds across the following core eras:

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piggy bank
Coins falling into a white piggy bank

Love Him or Hate Him, Open a Trump Account

Last year, Congress established 530A tax-advantaged investment accounts for children under the age of 18. These accounts are now open and eligible children born between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2028 receive a $1000 contribution from the federal government. This August, philanthropists Michael and Susan Dell gave $6.25 billion to supercharge these so-called Trump accounts, $250 goes into the accounts of the first 25 million children who have an account, are 10 and under and live in qualifying zip codes. Two hundred and fifty dollars was deposited into our children’s 530A Trump accounts.

However, as of July 2026, less than 10% of children eligible to open an account actually had an account. Too many of those who are economically worst off have not opened these 530a accounts. Research shows that families with higher incomes, older people, men and white people are more likely to be aware of this opportunity compared to families with lower incomes who are younger, women and Black and Latino. Given the historical, persistent racial and growing economic wealth gap, opportunities to build wealth should not be overlooked.

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