WASHINGTON (AP) – When Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines executives spoke against Georgia’s new voting law as overly restrictive last week, it seemed to indicate a new activism springing from the American corporation.
But if the leaders of the country’s top companies reject lawmakers who support restrictive voting measures, they will have to abruptly reverse course.
State lawmakers across the country who have pushed for new voting restrictions and who have also seized on unfounded allegations of election fraud by former President Donald Trump have raised more than $ 50 million in corporate donations in recent years. years, according to a new Citizen report, a Washington-based government surveillance group.
Telecommunications giant AT&T was the most prolific, giving more than $ 800,000 since 2015 to proposed restraints, sponsors of those measures or those who voted in favor of the bills, according to the report. Other major donors during the same period are Comcast, Philip Morris USA, UnitedHealth Group, Walmart, Verizon, General Motors and Pfizer.
The money may not have been given in light of voting laws, but it nonetheless helped consolidate Republican control in state houses where many of the prohibitive measures are now advancing.
If companies continue to give to these legislators, it will be seen to what extent risk-averse business leaders are willing to go so far in their increasingly forceful critique of restrictive efforts, which voting rights groups have excoriated as a attack on democracy.
“It really is corporate America, as a whole, that funds these politicians,” said Mike Tanglis, one of the report’s authors. “It looks like a lot of people are trying to hide under a rock and waiting for that number to pass.”
More than 120 companies detailed in the report said earlier that they would rethink their donations to members of Congress who, acting on the same falsehoods as state lawmakers, opposed certification of President Joe Biden’s victory after the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters.
Tension is most evident now in Georgia, where a powerful new voting law has boosted intense national control, sparking criticism from Delta and Coca-Cola. On Friday, MLB announced it would stop hosting the 2021 All-Star Game in Atlanta.
However, it is unclear whether this new aggressive stance will extend to corporate campaign donation practices. And the first indicators show that there is risk.
House controlled by the Republicans of Georgia voted to withdraw Delta tax bill worth tens of millions of dollars a year for their criticism of the new law, although the action became debatable after the Republican Party Senate could not adopt it before that the legislative session be postponed.
What is certain, however, is that withholding corporate donations from statewide candidates, as many companies did at the federal level, would have a much greater impact on state homes.
“A $ 5,000 contribution to a $ 30 million U.S. senator is a drop in the bucket. But in some of these state races, a few thousand dollars can save a lot of time in ads, ”Tanglis said. “If corporate America says (Trump’s) lie is unacceptable at the federal level, what about the state?”
Public Citizen analyzed some 245 proposed vote restriction bills before March 1st. They removed a list of sponsors and sponsors, while analyzing the voter list calls. They then made cross-references to the data with statewide donation records dating back to 2015, which included money from corporate policy action committees as well as direct contributions from corporate treasuries.
Among his discoveries:
– Companies donated at least $ 50 million to lawmakers who supported voting restrictions, including $ 22 million in the 2020 campaign cycle.
– At least 81 Fortune 100 companies have given a combined total of $ 7.7 million to supporters of the restrictions.
– Nearly half of Fortune 500 companies gave a combined total of $ 12.8 million to supporters of the restrictions.
– Approximately three-quarters of companies that changed their donation policies after the U.S. Capitol attack have also donated to lawmakers who supported voting rights restrictions.
– More than 60 companies have donated at least $ 100,000 to lawmakers who supported the restrictions.
– Separately, industry groups and trade associations contributed an additional $ 36 million to lawmakers, 16 million of which were delivered during the 2020 cycle.
In response, AT&T said “the right to vote is sacred,” but declined to say whether the company would withhold donations to state lawmakers as they did for members of Congress who opposed Biden’s victory. .
“We understand that election laws are complicated, not our company’s experience and ultimately the responsibility of elected officials. But as a company, we have a responsibility to participate,” said John Stankey, CEO of AT&T , in a statement.
Hans Vestberg, CEO of Verizon, said in a statement: “We strongly oppose the passage of any legislation or the adoption of any measure that would make voting difficult.” But he stopped promising any specific action.
Comcast said in a statement that “efforts to limit or impede access to this vital constitutional right for any citizen are inconsistent with our values.” The company would not comment on whether to evaluate its donation to lawmakers who support the measures.
Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris USA, said in a statement that “all eligible voters should be able to exercise their right to vote” and pledged to oversee “the alignment of legislators with our guiding principles. political contribution in making decisions about future contributions “.
Other companies listed in the report declined to comment or did not respond to inquiries from The Associated Press.
On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged companies to resist what he called a “coordinated campaign of powerful and wealthy people to deceive and intimidate the American people.”
“Our private sector must stop taking signals from the industrial-indignation complex,” the Kentucky Republican said in a statement. “Americans don’t need or want big business to amplify … nor do they react to every controversy produced by frantic left-wing signage.”
Pressure has been particularly intense in Georgia, where Republican Gov. Brian Kemp recently signed a new law banning the distribution of food or water to voters waiting in line and allowing Republican-controlled State Electoral Boards to remove and replace election officials. of the county. , among many other provisions.
Two of the main beneficiaries of corporate contributions detailed in the Public Citizenship report were one of the sponsors of the measure.
Since 2015, Republican state Sen. Jeff Mullis has raised more than $ 869,000 in corporate CAP donations. Its major corporate donors included AT&T ($ 15,900) and UnitedHealth Group ($ 12,900), according to the report. Mullis is the chair of the Georgia Senate Rules Committee, which plays a key role in determining which laws come to the vote.
Republican State Sen. Butch Miller, another sponsor of the bill, has received at least $ 729,000 in corporate donations since 2015. Its major corporate donors include UnitedHealth Group ($ 15,700) and AT&T ($ 13,600). , according to the report.
Miller and Mullis did not respond to requests for comment.