The Arizona Democratic Party moved over the weekend to bar billionaires and corporations from using their wealth to purchase primary elections, a key step for progressives who have been pushing the Democratic Party nationwide to curb the political influence of ultra-rich donors.
A newly approved resolution, passed by voice vote at the Arizona Democratic Party’s State Committee meeting on Saturday, instructs the party to “establish a ‘People’s Primary’ policy to bar, to the greatest extent possible, the use of massive private wealth to buy or unduly influence our primary elections.”
Organizers and supporters said the resolution’s passage marks a significant victory for progressives who have been pushing Democratic leaders to target the outsize influence of big money on primary contests. The weekend vote marked the first time a state Democratic Party has formally committed to challenging big money in primaries, according to organizers.
