Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Meet the reformer: Tiffany Muller, would-be vanquisher of big money

Meet the reformer: Tiffany Muller, would-be vanquisher of big money

Tiffany Muller is the president and executive director of End Citizens United.

End Citizens United

Tiffany Muller is president and executive director of End Citizens United, a left-leaning political action committee working to overhaul and bolster regulation of the federal campaign finance system. Originally from rural Missouri, she began her political career in Kansas before joining the ECU staff in Washington three years ago. Her answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

What's the tweet-length description of your organization?


ECU is a grassroots organization dedicated to getting big money out of politics and fixing the rigged system in Washington so that government works for all Americans. We have 4 million members nationwide and are entirely grassroots-funded with an average donation of just $14.

Describe your very first civic engagement.

I began my career in government and politics when I became the first openly gay public official in Kansas as a member of the Topeka City Council in 2004. We passed an ordinance that prevented discrimination based on sexual orientation. That made me the target of Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church, which sought to repeal it. We fought back and won. I learned a lot from that experience and saw the importance of being an active participant in our democracy, and it led me to where I am today.

What was your biggest professional triumph?

Passage of the For the People Act. It was inspiring to see a wave of reformers run on anti-corruption and getting big money out of politics in 2018. That led to an unprecedented number of candidates rejecting corporate PAC money and it ultimately helped take back the House. It created the political momentum to make a comprehensive reform and anti-corruption bill the first item on the agenda in this Congress. With Speaker Nancy Pelosi's leadership, HR 1 was introduced and passed. We're proud of the fact that we've built an organization that supports these reformers.

And your most disappointing setback?

When Kansas passed the anti-gay marriage amendment in 2005. I lost my election that same day, but that paled in comparison to knowing that our neighbors and communities voted to pass the amendment. At the time, it wasn't clear to me that there was a path to marriage equality. Eight years later, I got married to my wife.

How does your identity influence the way you go about your work?

Being a woman and a lesbian who's leading a large organization is still uncommon. It's inspiring to see more women in leadership roles and elected office. I try to work hard, stay humble and always make time for those who want help. A lot of people helped me get to where I am today, and I want to help open the door for others.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Always carve out time for your family. Politics is a demanding environment and time is elusive. I took that advice to heart and make sure that I spend quality time with my wife and daughter every day.

Create a new flavor for Ben & Jerry's.

We always need to bring more attention to the flood of unlimited, undisclosed money in politics, so I'm going to go with "Dark Money Ice Cream." The catch would be we don't have to disclose the ingredients.

The West Wing or Veep?

The West Wing for sure. When I was a researcher on Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' campaign, there were several long nights and The West Wing got me through them.

What's the last thing you do on your phone at night?

Hit the "do not disturb" button.

What is your deepest, darkest secret? (Something fun!)

I absolutely love Chesters Hot Fries. My staff gives me a hard time because I like it so much, but they're so good!

Read More

U.S. President Barack Obama speaking on the phone in the Oval Office.

U.S. President Barack Obama talks President Barack Obama talks with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan during a phone call from the Oval Office on November 2, 2009 in Washington, DC.

Getty Images, The White House

‘Obama, You're 15 Years Too Late!’

The mid-decade redistricting fight continues, while the word “hypocrisy” has become increasingly common in the media.

The origin of mid-decade redistricting dates back to the early history of the United States. However, its resurgence and legal acceptance primarily stem from the Texas redistricting effort in 2003, a controversial move by the Republican Party to redraw the state's congressional districts, and the 2006 U.S. Supreme Court decision in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry. This decision, which confirmed that mid-decade redistricting is not prohibited by federal law, was a significant turning point in the acceptance of this practice.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hand of a person casting a ballot at a polling station during voting.

Gerrymandering silences communities and distorts elections. Proportional representation offers a proven path to fairer maps and real democracy.

Getty Images, bizoo_n

Gerrymandering Today, Gerrymandering Tomorrow, Gerrymandering Forever

In 1963, Alabama Governor George Wallace declared, "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." (Watch the video of his speech.) As a politically aware high school senior, I was shocked by the venom and anger in his voice—the open, defiant embrace of systematic disenfranchisement, so different from the quieter racism I knew growing up outside Boston.

Today, watching politicians openly rig elections, I feel that same disbelief—especially seeing Republican leaders embrace that same systematic approach: gerrymandering now, gerrymandering tomorrow, gerrymandering forever.

Keep ReadingShow less
An oversized ballot box surrounded by people.

Young people worldwide form new parties to reshape politics—yet America’s two-party system blocks them.

Getty Images, J Studios

No Country for Young Politicians—and How To Fix That

In democracies around the world, young people have started new political parties whenever the establishment has sidelined their views or excluded them from policymaking. These parties have sometimes reinvigorated political competition, compelled established parties to take previously neglected issues seriously, or encouraged incumbent leaders to find better ways to include and reach out to young voters.

In Europe, a trio in their twenties started Volt in 2017 as a pan-European response to Brexit, and the party has managed to win seats in the European Parliament and in some national legislatures. In Germany, young people concerned about climate change created Klimaliste, a party committed to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as per the Paris Agreement. Although the party hasn’t won seats at the federal level, they have managed to win some municipal elections. In Chile, leaders of the 2011 student protests, who then won seats as independent candidates, created political parties like Revolución Democrática and Convergencia Social to institutionalize their movements. In 2022, one of these former student leaders, Gabriel Boric, became the president of Chile at 36 years old.

Keep ReadingShow less
How To Fix Gerrymandering: A Fair-Share Rule for Congressional Redistricting

Demonstrators gather outside of The United States Supreme Court during an oral arguments in Gill v. Whitford to call for an end to partisan gerrymandering on October 3, 2017 in Washington, DC

Getty Images, Olivier Douliery

How To Fix Gerrymandering: A Fair-Share Rule for Congressional Redistricting

The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground. ~ Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Col. Edward Carrington, Paris, 27 May 1788

The Problem We Face

The U.S. House of Representatives was designed as the chamber of Congress most directly tethered to the people. Article I of the Constitution mandates that seats be apportioned among the states according to population and that members face election every two years—design features meant to keep representatives responsive to shifting public sentiment. Unlike the Senate, which prioritizes state sovereignty and representation, the House translates raw population counts into political voice: each House district is to contain roughly the same number of residents, ensuring that every citizen’s vote carries comparable weight. In principle, then, the House serves as the nation’s demographic mirror, channeling the diverse preferences of the electorate into lawmaking and acting as a safeguard against unresponsive or oligarchic governance.

Nationally, the mismatch between the overall popular vote and the partisan split in House seats is small, with less than a 1% tilt. But state-level results tell a different story. Take Connecticut: Democrats hold all five seats despite Republicans winning over 40% of the statewide vote. In Oklahoma, the inverse occurs—Republicans control every seat even though Democrats consistently earn around 40% of the vote.

Keep ReadingShow less