Throw the Hypocritical Rascals Out
T.H.R.O. (Throw the Hypocritical Rascals Out) was a US ad campaign in 1990–1991 led by Jack Gargan to urge people to vote out incumbents. He started with $45,000 of his own money and later raised more than $750,000 from donations.
In 1990, Gargan believed the economy and political system were failing. After scandals like congressional pay raises, the Keating Five hearings, and the S&L crisis, he borrowed $45,000 from his retirement savings to fund the first independent ad, which carried the message “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore” (a nod to the film Network). The ads denounced Congress for voting pay raises while wages weren’t rising.
The campaign drew wide interest and T.H.R.O. was formed. Its goal was the 1990 congressional elections: convince citizens to vote out incumbents and bring in new blood. The movement earned Gargan Time magazine’s Hero of the Week on September 10, 1990. The elections did not produce sweeping change—17 incumbents were defeated, more than the 7 who had lost in the previous election. There was also a noticeable 12% cross-country differential in results.
By January 2, 1991—just 132 days after the first ad—the campaign had raised about $750,000, much of it in small donations. Gargan had placed 142 newspaper ads in 49 states, appeared on about 250 radio shows, and was interviewed on Donahue, Larry King Live, Good Morning America, and CBS Morning News.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:38 (CET).