Cenk Uygur, the founder of The Young Turks, announced Thursday that he is running for Congress. (Image: Cenk Uygur)
Vowing to Take on the 'Greedy, Corrupt Donor Class,' Young Turks Founder Cenk Uygur Announces Congressional Bid
"I'm going to fight to get money out of politics, and I'm going to call it like it is. You know what campaign donations are from big corporations and lobbyists? Bribes."
Cenk Uygur, host and founder of the online progressive news show The Young Turks, announced late Thursday that he is running for the California congressional seat left vacant by the recent resignation of Rep. Katie Hill.
"We have ridiculously low wages and a horrible healthcare system because politicians took money from those industries to sell you out."
--Cenk Uygur
"I'm going to represent those people in a way that they have not seen before. I will not be a standard politician. I will fight for them," Uygur said in his announcement Thursday. "I'm going to fight to get money out of politics, and I'm going to call it like it is."
"You know what campaign donations are from big corporations and lobbyists? Bribes," Uygur added. "They're bribes when Republicans take them, they're also bribes when Democrats take them. I'm not going to take any of that, and I'm going to fight to get you guys higher wages and to get you healthcare that your family needs."
Watch:
Uygur briefly worked as anchor for MSNBC in 2011 before leaving the network over its refusal to "challenge power." He went on to co-found the progressive organization Justice Democrats, which works to replace centrist congressional Democrats with bold progressives.
In an indication of the strength of his digital media platform, Uygur announced Thursday that he raised over $100,000 from an average donation of $28 within three hours of launching his campaign.
"We have ridiculously low wages and a horrible healthcare system because politicians took money from those industries to sell you out," Uygur told Politico. "It's time people had a Representative who actually represented them rather than the greedy, corrupt donor class."
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) Thursday night became the first member of Congress to endorse Uygur's candidacy.
"Congress needs bold progressives," Khanna said.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Cenk Uygur, host and founder of the online progressive news show The Young Turks, announced late Thursday that he is running for the California congressional seat left vacant by the recent resignation of Rep. Katie Hill.
"We have ridiculously low wages and a horrible healthcare system because politicians took money from those industries to sell you out."
--Cenk Uygur
"I'm going to represent those people in a way that they have not seen before. I will not be a standard politician. I will fight for them," Uygur said in his announcement Thursday. "I'm going to fight to get money out of politics, and I'm going to call it like it is."
"You know what campaign donations are from big corporations and lobbyists? Bribes," Uygur added. "They're bribes when Republicans take them, they're also bribes when Democrats take them. I'm not going to take any of that, and I'm going to fight to get you guys higher wages and to get you healthcare that your family needs."
Watch:
Uygur briefly worked as anchor for MSNBC in 2011 before leaving the network over its refusal to "challenge power." He went on to co-found the progressive organization Justice Democrats, which works to replace centrist congressional Democrats with bold progressives.
In an indication of the strength of his digital media platform, Uygur announced Thursday that he raised over $100,000 from an average donation of $28 within three hours of launching his campaign.
"We have ridiculously low wages and a horrible healthcare system because politicians took money from those industries to sell you out," Uygur told Politico. "It's time people had a Representative who actually represented them rather than the greedy, corrupt donor class."
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) Thursday night became the first member of Congress to endorse Uygur's candidacy.
"Congress needs bold progressives," Khanna said.
Cenk Uygur, host and founder of the online progressive news show The Young Turks, announced late Thursday that he is running for the California congressional seat left vacant by the recent resignation of Rep. Katie Hill.
"We have ridiculously low wages and a horrible healthcare system because politicians took money from those industries to sell you out."
--Cenk Uygur
"I'm going to represent those people in a way that they have not seen before. I will not be a standard politician. I will fight for them," Uygur said in his announcement Thursday. "I'm going to fight to get money out of politics, and I'm going to call it like it is."
"You know what campaign donations are from big corporations and lobbyists? Bribes," Uygur added. "They're bribes when Republicans take them, they're also bribes when Democrats take them. I'm not going to take any of that, and I'm going to fight to get you guys higher wages and to get you healthcare that your family needs."
Watch:
Uygur briefly worked as anchor for MSNBC in 2011 before leaving the network over its refusal to "challenge power." He went on to co-found the progressive organization Justice Democrats, which works to replace centrist congressional Democrats with bold progressives.
In an indication of the strength of his digital media platform, Uygur announced Thursday that he raised over $100,000 from an average donation of $28 within three hours of launching his campaign.
"We have ridiculously low wages and a horrible healthcare system because politicians took money from those industries to sell you out," Uygur told Politico. "It's time people had a Representative who actually represented them rather than the greedy, corrupt donor class."
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) Thursday night became the first member of Congress to endorse Uygur's candidacy.
"Congress needs bold progressives," Khanna said.