WASHINGTON - September 22 -

WHO:

-- Nick Nyhart, executive director, Public Campaign Action Fund

-- Chellie Pingree, president and CEO, Common Cause

-- Joan Claybrook, president, Public Citizen

WHAT: National telephone press conference to release names of candidates who have signed the Voters First Pledge and launch new Web site that allows visitors to search for congressional candidates who have or have not signed the pledge

WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. EDT

DIAL-IN NUMBER: 888-868-9079, Passcode: 7900382; or ask for Voter First pledge call

BACKGROUND: Public Campaign Action Fund, Common Cause and Public Citizen will release the names of hundreds of congressional candidates who have signed the "Voters First" pledge to clean up Congress.

More than 250 general election candidates from both major political parties and 45 states have signed the three-part pledge in support of Clean Elections-style publicly financed elections; enhanced ethics and lobbying restrictions; and greater transparency for the fundraising done by lobbyists for candidates.

To see a copy of the pledge, please visit http://www.campaignmoney.org/votersfirstpledge.

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