Stock trading ban becomes hot-button campaign issue

Stock trading for members of Congress is becoming a flashpoint on the campaign trail this cycle as calls for a ban on the practice for lawmakers grow.

The issue is a rarity in that it has cut across party lines, with Republicans and Democrats both seizing on the issue ahead of the midterms.

North Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Cheri Beasley rolled out an ad this week calling for members of Congress to be banned from participating in the practice, while Republicans have hit vulnerable Democrats like Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) over their stances against a ban.

“It’s so overwhelmingly popular because the public understands it and they’re outraged,” said Liz Hempowicz, director of public policy at the Project on Government Oversight.

The prospect of banning members of Congress from trading stocks is overwhelmingly popular with the majority of Americans, according to various polls. One survey from the left-leaning firm Data for Progress found that 70 percent of respondents said lawmakers should not be able to buy or sell individual stocks while in office, while 68 percent said spouses should be included in the ban. A separate Morning Consult-Politico poll released in January found that 63 percent of all voters said members of Congress should be banned from the practice. Additionally, the poll found that 57 percent of all voters support banning lawmakers’ families from taking part in it.

To know more: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3590362-stock-trading-ban-becomes-hot-button-campaign-issue/