THOSE are not the issue, according to major GOP donors.
No - according to them, THE GOP ITSELF is the issue
Republicans scramble to contain fallout as donors distance themselves
Republicans are scrambling to contain the fallout as major donors freeze political contributions and distance themselves from lawmakers who voted to overturn the Electoral College results.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who voted to reject electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania, has been calling existing donors trying to calm nerves, saying that — despite the riot at the Capitol that was an effort to impede the transition of power — he and his party can work with the incoming Biden administration.
But many big-name corporations and businesses have indicated they’re in no rush to resume contributions to Republicans who objected to the presidential election results.
McCarthy made a round of calls to donors on Wednesday, according to multiple sources. At least one call was made up of friendly major donors who largely didn’t push back. The leader's remarks seemed more scripted than not. He took three questions and then had to run to the airport, one source said.
“He’s trying to calm down donors. I think he’s trying to assure them that they want to work with President Biden and the vote did not mean that they won’t support Biden initiatives, like infrastructure, debt ceiling, COVID relief,” a Republican donor said.
Corporations are targeting the 147 GOP lawmakers who voted to challenge the 2020 election results in Arizona or Pennsylvania last week, even after the deadly attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.
One lobbyist described McCarthy's calls to donors: “I would equate it to trying to get a plane out of a spin, trying to level the wings.”
But many corporations are not just questioning the GOP’s ability to work with Democrats, they are trying to distance themselves from the ugly scenes in D.C. last Wednesday.
Comcast was the top corporate donor to McCarthy’s leadership PAC and campaign committee, with its individuals and PAC donating $87,600 in 2020. The company is now suspending contributions to lawmakers who voted against the election results, saying that the violence at the U.S. Capitol last week was “appalling.”
Blue Cross Blue Shield is also a top donor to McCarthy’s leadership PAC and campaign committee, and its individuals and PAC gave 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’s trying to figure out how to lead in a very difficult circumstance,” the Republican donor said. “He’s got pressure on the left, he’s got pressure from the center, he’s got pressure from the right and from his members. He’s doing better than anyone else could do in the conference.”
Individuals and the corporate PAC at Amazon gave McCarthy’s leadership PAC and campaign committee more than $43,100. Now, Amazon is pausing donations to lawmakers who voted against the results, calling it an “unacceptable attempt to undermine a legitimate democratic process.”
McCarthy isn’t the only Republican making calls in an attempt to ease tensions.
Republican lawmakers, both from leadership and rank-and-file, those who voted to overturn the election results and those who didn't, have been making calls to feel out the mood of corporate donors, according to multiple sources.
Republicans are asking lobbyists about the temperature of their clients, while the list of companies saying they won’t donate to the lawmakers who voted against the election results is growing.
https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying ... tributions
