Some companies have stopped political donations to SC representatives
| Greenville News
Raising money for the campaign could become a little more difficult for two congressmen from the interior who joined dozens of their Republican colleagues in the vote to reject the results of the presidential elections in two states after the deadly US Capitol riot last week.
Several large companies have cut political contributions to Republican congressmen, such as US Representative William Timmons and US Representative Jeff Duncan, who unsuccessfully opposed the counting of the Arizona and Pennsylvania Electoral College, showing that President-elect Joe Biden won those states.
Timmons and Duncan cited changes in state electoral laws as a reason for their objections.
Election objection: Duncan, Timmons and 3 other SC congressmen voted against the results of the Electoral College
Comcast, the country’s largest cable TV provider, issued a statement that said: “At this crucial time, our focus needs to be to work together for the good of the entire nation. According to this vision, we will suspend all of our policy contributions to the elected officials who voted against the certification of the electoral college votes, which will give us the opportunity to review our political giving policies and practices. ”
In addition to Comcast, companies that have suspended donations include Amazon, AT&T, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Citigroup, Verizon and Walmart. Timmons and Duncan received a combined $ 132,000 from political committees for these companies during the past two election cycles. This total represents almost 2.4% of the combined US $ 5.6 million in campaign money that Timmons and Duncan raised during the same period, according to data from the Federal Election Commission.
A total of six US Republican senators and 121 members of the US House of Representatives Republican Party voted against the results of the Arizona Electoral College. Seven Republican senators and 138 members of the Republican Party House voted against Pennsylvania’s results.
Biden has been certified as the winner of the election and will take office on Wednesday.
Timmons and Duncan respond to companies’ decisions to suspend donations
Timmons is serving his second term representing the state’s 4th Congressional District, which includes most of Greenville and Spartanburg counties. He received a total of $ 39,500 in campaign contributions from Amazon, AT&T, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Citigroup, Comcast and Walmart during the 2020 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.org, a website that tracks money on politics. Timmons raised $ 16,000 from AT&T, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Comcast in the 2018 election cycle.
“Companies, as well as individuals, have the right to choose who and to what causes they want to make contributions. Likewise, there are companies that have announced that they are suspending donations to both political parties,” said Timmons in an email. on Friday in response to questions from The Greenville News.
“Ultimately, SC04 is not for sale,” he said. “My main focus will always be to serve the citizens of the Fourth District and work to solve the great challenges facing our nation.”
Duncan is serving his sixth term representing a district that includes all Anderson and Pickens counties and part of Greenville county. In the 2020 election cycle, he received $ 38,000 in campaign contributions from Amazon, AT&T, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Comcast, Verizon and Walmart, according to OpenSecrets.org. Duncan raised $ 38,500 in donations from Amazon, AT&T, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Comcast and Verizon during the 2018 election cycle.
“I will always vote to follow the constitution, regardless of what anyone else decides to do,” said Duncan in an email answering questions from The News. “I do, however, believe that these companies should be consistent across all industries. . and, in this case, it means suspending contributions to Democrats who opposed the poll results in 2017, 2005 and 2001. That includes Democrat Whip Jim Clyburn and Democratic committee chairmen like Frank Pallone, Maxine Waters and Jim McGovern, among others. “
Addie Patterson, a spokesman for Duncan, said in the email that his boss is not concerned about how the loss of corporate donor contributions will affect his fundraising for the campaign.
“Most of the congressman’s campaign contributions come from individuals, and most come from people donating less than $ 200,” said Patterson.
Individual donors accounted for 55% of Duncan’s $ 1.5 million in campaign contributions during the 2020 election cycle, according to FEC data. Donations from political committees to businesses and other interests accounted for almost 60% of Duncan’s $ 893,000 in campaign money in the 2018 election cycle.
The Anderson County Democratic Party is promoting a petition asking Duncan to resign for opposing the results of the Electoral College. More than 1,450 people signed the petition online on Friday morning.
In a tweet earlier this week, Duncan said, “I wonder where his ‘petition’ against Jim Clyburn is, since he was one of 31 Democrats who voted in exactly the same position in 2005.”
Timmons and Duncan also joined three other South Carolina Republican congressmen this week in voting against the resolution the U.S. House of Representatives passed for President Donald Trump’s impeachment a second time. The resolution accuses Trump of inciting the January 6 riot at the United States Capitol, which began after the president asked his supporters at a rally to fight to overturn what he called a “rigged” election.
Trump’s impeachment: Not all SC Republicans vote against the president’s impeachment
Republican Representative Tom Rice and Clyburn were the only members of the state Congressional delegation to vote for Trump’s impeachment. In a statement released after his vote on Wednesday, Rice said Trump’s actions before and after the riot were “inexcusable”.
In another statement on Wednesday, South Carolina Republican Party President Drew McKissick said: “To say that I am deeply disappointed in Congressman Tom Rice would be an understatement.”
‘Angry’ confrontation: Lindsey Graham approached by people upset about her break with Trump
Tim Scott proposes electoral integrity panel, while Lindsey Graham calls for riot investigation on Capitol Hill
On the same day that he voted to certify the results of the Electoral College after the Capitol riot, United States Senator Tim Scott introduced a bill to create a bipartisan election integrity commission.
“We cannot go forward without looking back and examining the issues that have caused millions of Americans to lose confidence in our electoral system,” said Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, in a press release on January 5.
Scott said the commission should examine “the scope of any improper or fraudulent voter registration or voting” in the November election.
Former US Attorney William Barr said last month that there was no evidence of generalization in the election.
President Donald Trump and his allies have filed 62 lawsuits in state and federal courts seeking to reverse election results in states the president lost, and 61 of them have failed, USA Today reported citing Marc Elias, a Democratic electoral lawyer. Some of these cases were dismissed for lack of legitimacy and others were dismissed based on the merits of allegations of electoral fraud. The decisions came from judges appointed by Democrats and Republicans, including federal judges appointed by Trump.
Scott has not yet responded to questions sent by email or interview requests from The News.
US Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina who became Trump’s ally, broke with the president when he voted to certify the results of the Electoral College showing that Biden won the election.
“All I can say is, count on me,” Graham said in a speech on the Senate floor. “Enough is enough.”
Turmoil: Graham says “enough” while SC representatives are safe, but others die when Trump supporters revolt
On Tuesday, Graham joined Trump on a trip to visit part of a border wall in Texas. A day later, he joined Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin in calling for an independent commission to investigate the Capitol rebellion.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.