SAN DIEGO - San Diego Democrats are now celebrating their party officially taking back the House of Representatives.
Now, they want action on a bill they say will take corruption out of U.S. politics.
"Having the Democrats take back the house is the best birthday present anybody could have," said Ruth Kirk, who lives in Hillcrest.
On Thursday, Kirk celebrated with about three dozen of her like minded friends - in front of Democratic Congresswoman Susan Davis's office in North Park. The demonstrators, part of a group called Indivisible, worked to flip house seats from red to blue in the 2018 election. With that goal accomplished, Indivisible is turning its attention to reforming how politics operate in this country.
Indivisible held rallies outside Davis's office as well as Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter's Temecula headquarters. They are pushing for H.R. 1 - a bill that would reform campaign finance laws, ethics, and voting rights.
"We want to get the money and the gerrymandering out of politics and the ethics back into government," Kirk said.
Davis says the bill is still being drafted and hopes to have it passed by Jan. 21. That's the eighth anniversary of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which freed corporations and unions to spend all they want on political ads.
It appears, however, to have a minuscule chance in the Republican-controlled senate.
Majority leader Mitch McConnell last month called it a blatantly unconstitutional effort to micromanage our elections.
Political analyst Ruben Barrales, who worked in the George W. Bush administration, says there are some aspects of the bill that could pass - such as more daylight for campaign contributions. He says Republicans may find some of the bill's provisions too restrictive or granting too much power to one agency.
Kirk says she's already thinking about 2020 - and campaigning to put more Democrats in the Senate - and one in the White House.
