Fact Check

For years, Andrei Cherny has been taking on high-powered lobbyists and their lies.  Partnering with Elizabeth Warren against the largest army of Wall Street lobbyists ever amassed, Andrei helped create the Consumer Finance Bureau and won a major victory for the middle class.  At home in Arizona, Andrei fought hard against corruption while serving as Assistant Attorney General under Terry Goddard.

Now the lobbyists are coming after Andrei with smears about his record of working for the middle class. The Super PAC "Restoring Arizona's Integrity" was founded by two of Kyrsten Sinema's lobbyist friends, who less than a month earlier hosted a major fundraiser for Sinema's campaign.  Sinema is now pouring tons of money into promoting lies about Andrei's record of accomplishment, aided by the lobbyist Super PAC with access to unlimited money from unknown sources.

Don't believe the smears - get the facts:

Social Security

Andrei has always been a staunch defender of Social Security, which he has described as a "sacred trust between the American people and their government."  Andrei's connection to this issue is personal: his own grandmother relied on Social Security to pay her bills before she passed away.  Beginning with his time in the Clinton White House, Cherny has supported efforts to expand Social Security benefits for our seniors and worked to beat back right-wing proposals that would have undercut this critical institution.

Andrei is the only candidate with a real record of protecting Social Security. In 2005, he worked with Senate Democrats to beat back the Bush plan and he won.

Don't believe the smears – Andrei is dedicated to protecting Social Security and he is the only candidate who has a track-record of fighting privatization. That's why President Clinton endorsed Andrei, saying he knows that Andrei is committed to "defending Social Security."

LOBBYIST LIE:

Andrei Cherny doesn't support Social Security.

FACT

Andrei is a strong supporter of Social Security, and has a record of protecting Social Security.

  • Andrei worked in the White House with President Clinton to protect Social Security from Republican privatization efforts.
  • Andrei believes Social Security is a "sacred trust," a crucial piece of the social safety net that we must fight to protect and strengthen.

  • Andrei's connection to Social Security is personal: his own grandmother depended on Social Security to pay her bills before she passed away.

LOBBYIST LIE:

Andrei Cherny says Social Security a "Ponzi scheme."

 

FACT

Andrei never called Social Security a "Ponzi scheme."

  • This myth is based on a deliberate misquoting of Andrei in his 2000 book The New Deal, in which Andrei criticized those who view Social Security as a "Ponzi scheme."

LOBBYIST LIE:

Andrei Cherny would privatize Social Security.

FACT

Andrei has never supported Republican efforts to privatize Social Security, and is the only candidate who has fought against efforts to do so.

  • Andrei co-authored President Barack Obama's 2008 policy plan to "preserve Social Security" and "oppose any attempt to privatize Social Security."
  • In 2005, Andrei helped Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats defeat President George W. Bush's attempt to privatize Social Security.
  • This myth is based on a deliberate misrepresentation of Andrei in The New Deal, a book he wrote when he was working for President Clinton and Al Gore.  Their plan would have kept Social Security intact while creating new opportunities for retirement security -- a plan supported by President Clinton, Al Gore and Barack Obama.

 

School Vouchers

Andrei is a fierce advocate for public education and has always opposed school vouchers, because he knows they have little impact other than draining money from our already underfunded public schools.  Andrei attended public schools, his father is a public school teacher, and his son now attends a public elementary school in Phoenix.

Andrei's opponents are now doing everything they can to misrepresent his words, despite his clear statement that school vouchers are a "cruel hoax" from conservatives that are "draining funds from the public schools" and have "little impact on the vast majority of schools and school children."

SINEMA LIE:

Andrei Cherny supports school vouchers.

FACT

Andrei has always strongly opposed school vouchers because they take money away from our schools and don't do enough to support our children.

  • Twelve years ago, Andrei spoke out against vouchers, saying they are "draining funds from the public schools" and have "little impact on the vast majority of schools and school children."

SINEMA LIE:

Andrei Cherny would hurt public schools.

FACT

Andrei strongly supports our local public schools, which helped him achieve the American Dream.

  • In The New Deal, Andrei offers a ringing endorsement of public schools, calling them "America's greatest unifying institution."
  • Andrei's connection to our public schools is personal: he attended K-12 public schools growing up, his father has been a public school teacher for decades, and his son now attends a public elementary school in Phoenix.
  • In Congress, Andrei will push for partnerships with the federal government that improve Arizona's schools, encourage local innovation, and support our teachers, such as the recent "Race to the Top" program

Iraq War

Andrei opposed the War in Iraq from the start, calling it a "war of choice" that the United States could not afford.

Andrei enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve after 9/11 and his political opponents are trying to attack his decision to serve his country in uniform.

When the last troops came home from Iraq in late 2011, Andrei thanked the veterans for their service and praised President Obama for fulfilling his commitment to end the war.  Andrei's opponents' attempts to suggest otherwise simply have no basis in reality.

SINEMA LIE:

Andrei Cherny supported the War in Iraq.

FACT

Andrei has been a vocal opponent of the Iraq War since the build-up to war in 2002.

  • In 2002, Andrei – serving at the time in the U.S. Navy Reserve – opposed "the use of force against Iraq because it was a distraction from the mission of going after terrorists."
  • Andrei later argued the Bush Administration had become "consumed by Iraq – a country that did not have significant ties to al Qaeda and did not possess nuclear technology," distracting from the critical fight in Afghanistan following 9/11.
  • In 2011, Andrei praised President Obama for "fulfilling his promise to finish this mission and bring the troops home," while affirming the nation's deep gratitude to the heroes of the Iraq war and emphasizing these veterans' need for our "unwavering support."
Paid for by Andrei for Arizona