Common Cause
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Common Cause is a nonpartisan lobbying group based in Washington, D.C. in the United States.
Common Cause was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican who came to Washington to serve under President Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, and served as U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the Johnson administration from 1965 to 1968. Former Congressman Bob Edgar is the president and CEO.
Common Cause works with its members and activists and in coalition with other advocacy organizations including Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG toward its stated goal of making government and the media more accountable to the people. It has led efforts for campaign finance reform, media and telecommunications reform, ethics and accountability in government, and transparent government practices at the national, state, and local levels.
It has partnered with coalitions for civil rights legislation, worked to end what it considered to be wasteful weapons programs, and supported efforts to reform the voting system in the United States. In the past, Common Cause successfully fought to ban soft money contributions. In 2002, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act was enacted. A year later the U.S. Supreme Court McConnell v. FEC decision upheld the law.
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