Washington DC - It's no secret that money has been increasingly skewing the democratic process, but some activists and elected officials are seeking to change this. But one organization is driving the crucial effort to reform the Democratic Party and create a party "people actually believe in," in the words of its chair.

Many voters were first introduced to the concept of taking big money out of politics when Bernie Sanders ran for the Democratic primary in 2016.

While most of his contemporaries evaded the issue, Sanders enthusiastically stood against super PACs – political action committees that operate independently of campaigns and so are able to raise unlimited amounts of money.

Instead, the senator from Vermont, opted for individual campaign donations that mostly came directly from average citizens and voters. He ultimately lost to Hillary Clinton, whose campaign was funded mostly through large contributions.

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But that was far from the end. Sanders went on to birth Our Revolution, a political action organization consisting of local groups, volunteers, and activists, dedicated to continuing the fight.

One such activist, whom Sanders chose to chair the organization, is Larry Cohen, a Philly native who has been fighting for political change for over 50 years. Starting off as a union organizer, he was heavily involved with the Communication Workers of America union and served as its president between 2005 and 2015.

Cohen has also been a member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) since 2005, which he says has taught him a lot about how the party is run. He told TAG24 that he believes it's crucial to "fight inside the party and outside the party" for progressive change to.

His latest efforts are in support of a new resolution that aims to prevent dark money groups from being able to influence Democratic Party primaries, a move that can help promote more transparency for voters during the election process.

The DNC has the ability to set rules on how primary elections are run.

Members regularly bring forward resolutions to establish new rules for the party. But regulations for campaign funding haven't featured heavily among them, despite many Democrats publicly condemning the concept of big-money interests influencing elections.

And when it comes to dark money, that influence is particularly pernicious.

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The fundamental difference between super PACs and dark money groups is that the latter are not required by federal law to disclose their donors. This gives them free rein to accept money, no matter the amount, from anywhere and do with it as they please, without as much as having to say where it came from.

While these groups can't give or work directly with a candidate, how they legally identify themselves, whether as super PACs or dark-money groups, impacts what they are free to do and what regulations apply to their spending.

Our Revolution has worked over the years to bolster and give a platform to various progressive candidates. In the process, Cohen and his group have seen the ill effects dark money can have on elections.

Our Revolution regularly backs progressive, grassroots-funded candidates who take on powerful establishment figures.

One of the candidates they endorsed this primary cycle was Jessica Cisneros, a Texas immigration attorney who ran against Henry Cuellar, one of the most conservative Democrats in the House. Despite building an admirably powerful grassroots campaign, Cisneros lost the race in June.

According to Cohen, one big factor that contributed to her defeat was an onslaught of negative advertisements funded by a group called the United Democracy Project, which spent millions of dollars – mostly donated by Republicans – targeting progressive candidates.

There are countless other examples of the forces unleashed by Citizens United, the 2010 Supreme Court decision that reversed campaign finance restrictions for corporations. Cohen says that something must be done to counter these negative developments.

"We’ve created a structure that supports a two party system, and then we let money pollute both parties," he explained. "And money is polluting the Democratic Party."

Cohen blamed resistance to change tends on "key White House operatives that are running the party as much as the DNC is supposed to," and who are themselves connected to or working for the firms that receive dark money.

"They are addicted to money, and they don't care what the money brings with it or where it came from, and they don't care what the implications are of the money being spent," Cohen insisted.

"What that does to the base," he added, "which is working class people – Black, brown, and white – it guts us of any [opportunity] to change the country."

The strong headwinds haven't stopped Cohen and others from fighting back, and they have a big chance coming up during the resolutions vote at the 2022 DNC Summer Meeting.

First introduced by Nevada Democratic Party Chair Judith Whitmer, DNC Resolution 19 aims to "ban the use of 'dark money' funding during any and all Democratic primary elections," while also creating an institution that is tasked with exploring dark money groups and disciplining those who don't follow party guidelines.

Cohen believes that moves like Resolution 19, which he supports along with 32 other Democrats, promote electoral transparency, which may "give hope to younger workers and voters" and "help build a party the people believe in."

The resolution will be brought before the committee this week for approval, and how the DNC decides to proceed will speak volumes. Cohen believes passing it will send a message that the Democratic Party will "take party building seriously," something he believes both major parties are falling short on.

"The question is, are you going to build a 21st-century grassroots party, like most democracies have?" he said. "That is what is at stake."

Taking active measures to curb undemocratic influences within the Democratic Party is important now more than ever.

Back in June, the Pew Research Center published poll results on Americans' trust in government, which has been on a steady decline since 1958.

The Democratic Party, in particular, is fractured, with many more traditional members fighting to maintain the status quo, while younger, more progressive voters and officials insist that centering a working-class agenda is the best way forward.

Cohen is enthusiastic that "party building inside the party at the grassroots level" and combating far-right Republican opposition are key to the party's success in the future.

Subjects like Medicare for All, free college, immigration reform, voting rights, and climate change are moving the party forward, but keeping voters engaged will take a larger effort.

Reforming campaign finance rules and regulations may revive faith that Americans have lost in their elected officials.

"We will be just as strong doing the best we can to turn out voters who [feel] disenchanted," he said.

If Resolution 19 makes it through the DNC Resolutions Committee, it will go to a full vote on Saturday.