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Rep. Jim McGovern Announces He Will Stop Accepting Corporate PAC Money

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern is a Democrat from Worcester, Mass.
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Daily Hampshire Gazette / gazettenet.com
Rep. Jim McGovern is a Democrat from Worcester.

A western Massachusetts congressman has announced he'll no longer take money from corporate political action committees.

Representative Jim McGovern of Worcester, a Democrat, said he decided to stop taking campaign donations from corporate PAC's after hearing from constituents.

"I hesitated because I [wonderered], 'Would I put myself at a disadvantage?'" McGovern said in a phone interview Monday. "But the more I've thought about it and the more I see what's happening in our country, I thought it was the right thing to do. There's too much money involved in our politics and it's polluting our politics and it's polluting our policies."

As for whether his colleagues on Capitol Hill should do the same, McGovern said it's up to each person to make their own decision.

In the last election cycle, McGovern took in almost $400,00 from business PAC's, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

That's a sliver of the $2.5 million Congressman Richard Neal of Springfield took in.

In a statement, Neal did not answer if he would continue accepting donations from business PACs, but said he supports some additional campaign finance restrictions. 

Before joining New England Public Media, Alden was a producer for the CBS NEWS program 60 Minutes. In that role, he covered topics ranging from art, music and medicine to business, education and politics.
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