Republicans are struggling to contain the consequences as major donors freeze political contributions and distance themselves from lawmakers who voted to overturn the results of the Electoral College.
House minority leader Kevin McCarthy
Kevin Owen McCarthyMcCarthy will not support efforts to expel Cheney GOP senators ask for commission to investigate attack on Capitol Hill. (R-Calif.), Who voted to reject the electoral votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania, has been calling existing donors trying to calm nerves, saying that – despite the Capitol riots that were an effort to prevent the power transition – he and his party can work with the next Biden administration.
But many renowned corporations and businesses have indicated that they are in no hurry to resume contributions to Republicans who opposed the results of the presidential election.
McCarthy made a series of calls to donors on Wednesday, according to several sources. At least one call was made by large, friendly donors who largely did not respond. The leader’s observations seemed more planned than not. He answered three questions and then had to run to the airport, a source said.
“He is trying to calm donors. I think he is trying to assure them that they want to work with President Biden and the vote does not mean that they will not support Biden’s initiatives, such as infrastructure, debt ceiling, COVID relief, ”said a Republican donor.
Corporations target 147 Republican lawmakers who voted to challenge the 2020 election results in Arizona or Pennsylvania last week, even after the deadly attack on Capitol Hill by a pro-Trump crowd.
One lobbyist described McCarthy’s connections to donors: “I would be trying to take a plane out of a spin, trying to level the wings.”
But many corporations are not only questioning the Republican Party’s ability to work with Democrats, they are trying to distance themselves from the horrific scenes in DC last Wednesday.
Comcast was the main corporate donor to the McCarthy leadership PAC and campaign committee, with its individuals and the PAC donating $ 87,600 in 2020. The company is now suspending contributions to lawmakers who voted against the election results, saying that the violence on the US Capitol last week was “Terrible.”
Blue Cross Blue Shield is also a major donor to the leadership PAC and campaign committee for McCarthy and his individuals, and PAC has given them more than $ 62,200. The health insurance giant is now also suspending contributions to lawmakers who “voted to undermine our democracy”.
“I think he is trying to figure out how to lead in a very difficult circumstance,” said the Republican donor. “He has pressure from the left, he has pressure from the center, he has pressure from the right and the limbs. He’s doing better than anyone else could do at the conference. “
Amazon’s individual and corporate PAC gave the McCarthy leadership PAC and the campaign committee more than $ 43,100. Now, Amazon is halting donations to lawmakers who voted against the results, calling it an “unacceptable attempt to undermine a legitimate democratic process”.
McCarthy is not the only Republican to make calls in an attempt to ease tensions.
Republican lawmakers, both leadership and grassroots, those who voted to overturn the election results and those who did not vote, have made calls to feel the mood of corporate donors, according to several sources.
Republicans are asking lobbyists about their customers’ temperature, while the list of companies that say they will not donate to lawmakers who voted against the election results is growing.
Lawmakers ask, “What are executives saying at the c-suite level? Do you know what your client’s posture is? Or the members call you to explain your reasons. I didn’t have anyone calling to beg or anything, ”said a lobbyist. “They are concerned about a large-scale reaction, but I don’t know if I would use the word in a panic.”
“A lot of what you hear is that we need to figure out how to heal the country, spend the next week and try to figure out how to get back to normal,” said the lobbyist.
Some companies said they have not yet received calls from lawmakers, indicating that lawmakers are working first through lobbyists and fund-raisers.
The biggest financial impact is likely to be on ordinary members who voted to overturn the election results and do not have a large base of individual donors from grassroots to personal mega-donors. The GOP leadership and those who do not rely heavily on corporate PACs do not care so much about the decline, the sources said.
But Republicans who did not vote to overturn the election results are also frustrated by the situation because of the additional partisanship it could lead to, a source said. They, and the Democrats, are also feeling the pain of some corporations that are suspending political donations altogether.
“Many Republican Party members who did not vote against the objection are as frustrated as the Democrats with the suspension of corporate donations. They are concerned that any sustained retribution from donors, and also from their fellow Democrats, will make things even more difficult for the two parties to work together in a year when many expected the tone to improve, “said a lobbyist.
Traditional resources for campaign contributions to Republicans are also rapidly gaining their support and criticizing the party’s leadership.
A normally trusted resource for Republicans, the United States Chamber of Commerce, has promised to suspend support for some members.
“There are some members who, by their actions, will have lost the support of the United States Chamber of Commerce. Period, period, ”said Neil Bradley, the Chamber’s policy director, at a news conference on Tuesday. He did not specify who the support was obtained from, but said the House leadership would have “much more to say” when assessing the situation.
Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone, a billionaire and former Republican mega-donor, said on Wednesday, he felt “betrayed” by Trump and asked the Americans to unite so that Biden could be “the most successful president in the history of this country”.
Langone in 2020 gave $ 1.25 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC to support the Republican majority in the Senate, and $ 600,000 to Americans for Prosperity Action, the super PAC linked to the network formed by conservative donors. billionaires Charles and David Koch.
The National Association of Realtors is the largest bipartisan PAC on behalf of a trade association and, in 2020, gave nearly $ 3.6 million to federal candidates and more than 47% went to Republicans. The PAC council on Tuesday decided to temporarily pause federal political disbursements.