FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 6, 2024
Media Contact:
Elizabeth Estes-Cooper
Abbey Riddles
JHG/Townsend for Unity08
ariddles@jhg.com
1.858.431.5062
July 6, 2024 - The third-party movement to elect a Unity ticket to the White House in November 2024 reported raising $625,000 in donations and loans in the 2nd quarter of 2024.
Unity08 will hold the first-ever online convention in June 2024 to select a Unity ticket for President and Vice-President. The ticket will be comprised of either one Republican and one Democrat, in whichever order, or an Independent running with a Unity Team (such as a Republican for Vice President and a Democrat designated to be Secretary of State).
The purpose of the effort, said CEO Robert Bingham, is “to give the American people an opportunity to fix a system broken by polarized politics and special interests. Why should we expect the parties, leaders or financiers who broke it, to be able to fix it?”
The funds raised in the second quarter include three loans totaling $450,000 from Robert and Darcy Bingham, George Vradenburg, and Marty Capdevilla and Wendy Gillespie. Unity08 expects to repay these loans out of small dollar contributions from millions of delegates joining the effort next fall, winter and spring.
The majority of the loan amount was given by Bingham himself. “I am grateful to be able to give this loan, and as important, give my passion to this effort,” Bingham said. “I believe in what we are trying to do and I believe we will succeed in engaging the American people to elect a Unity08 ticket in 2024.”
The loans are intended to support both building the technical infrastructure capable of hosting an online convention of up to 10,000,000 delegates, and beginning an aggressive ballot access program this summer to put the Unity ticket on the ballot of every state.
Unity08 and its lenders have received legal opinions that Unity08 is not subject to the contribution limitations in the Federal Election Campaign Act because Unity08 does not support or oppose a specific candidate. Unity08 is challenging in federal district court an advisory opinion of the Federal Elections Commission that Unity08 is subject to the contribution limitations in the Act.
Unity08 co-founder Doug Bailey: “The FEC’s holding that we are supporting a candidate - when we most decidedly will not do so until our convention picks one -underscores the bias against us by both parties and the regulatory system designed to protect them.”
