Republicans are scrambling to contain the consequences, as major donors freeze political contributions and distance themselves from lawmakers who voted to nullify the results of the Electoral College.
Leader of the minority of the house Kevin McCarthy
Kevin Owen McCarthy McCarthy will not support efforts to oust Cheney GOP senators calling for a commission to investigate the Capitol attack. (R-California), which voted to reject Arizona and Pennsylvania election votes, has been calling on existing donors trying to calm their nerves, saying that despite the riots in the Capitol they were an effort to prevent the transition of power , he and his party can work with the incoming Biden administration.
But many big companies and corporations have indicated they are in no hurry to resume contributions to Republicans who opposed the election results.
McCarthy made a round of calls to donors Wednesday, according to several sources. At least one call was made up of large friendly donors who, for the most part, did not back down. The leader’s statements seemed more than scripts. He asked three questions and then had to run to the airport, a source said.
“Try to calm the donors. I think he’s trying to reassure them that they want to work with President Biden and that the vote doesn’t mean they don’t support Biden’s initiatives, such as infrastructure, debt ceiling, COVID relief, ”one donor said. republican.
The corporations are targeting the 147 Republican lawmakers who voted to challenge the results of the 2020 election in Arizona or Pennsylvania last week, even after the deadly attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump crowd .
A pressure group described McCarthy’s calls to donors: “I would equate it to trying to get a plane out of a vault, trying to level the wings.”
But many companies are not only questioning the Republican Party’s ability to work with Democrats, but are trying to distance themselves from the ugly scenes of DC last Wednesday.
Comcast was the main corporate donor to McCarthy’s campaign and management committee, with its individuals and PAC giving $ 87,600 in 2020. The company is now suspending contributions to lawmakers who voted against election results, saying violence in the U.S. Capitol last week was “Horror.”
Blue Cross Blue Shield is also a major donor to McCarthy’s leadership, the PAC and the campaign committee, and its individuals and PACs gave them more than $ 62,200. The health insurance giant is also suspending contributions to lawmakers who “voted to undermine our democracy.”
“I think he’s trying to figure out how to drive in a very difficult circumstance,” the Republican donor said. “He has pressure on the left, he has pressure from the center, he has pressure from the right and its members. He’s doing better than anyone at the conference. “
Amazon’s individual and corporate PACs donated more than $ 43,100 to the McCarthy PAC and campaign committee. 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 to try to ease tensions.
According to various sources, Republican lawmakers, both leadership and grassroots, those who voted to annul election results and those who did not, made calls to hear the mood of business donors.
Republicans ask lobbyists about the temperature of their customers, while the list of companies they say they will not give to lawmakers who voted against election results is growing.
Lawmakers ask, “What do executives say at the c-suite level? Do you know what your client’s position is? Or, members call you to explain their justification. I haven’t had anyone call to ask for a request or anything to style, ”a pressure group said. “They’re worried about a large-scale reaction, but I don’t know if I’d use the word panic.”
“Much 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,” the pressure group said.
Some corporations said they have not yet received calls from lawmakers, indicating lawmakers are working first through pressure groups and fundraising.
The biggest financial impact is likely to be on grassroots members who voted to annul election results and who do not have a large individual donor base, from grassroots donors to mega personal donors. Republican Party leaders and those who do not rely heavily on corporate PACs do not care so much about the fall, sources said.
But Republicans who did not vote to cancel the election results are also frustrated with the situation because of the new partisanship it could entail, a source said. They and Democrats also feel the sting of some corporations that completely pause political donations.
“Many members of the Republican Party who did not vote to oppose are as frustrated as Democrats with the suspension of corporate donations. They are concerned that any sustained pay from donors and also from their fellow Democrats will do even more. It was difficult for both parties to work together in a year in which many hoped the tone would improve, “a pressure group said.
Traditional resources for campaign contributions to Republicans also quickly claim their support and criticize the party leadership.
A typically reliable resource for Republicans, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce pledged to retain the support of certain members in the future.
“There are some members who by their actions will have lost the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Period, end point,” House Policy Chief Neil Bradley told a news conference Tuesday. He did not specify the support of who has withdrawn, but said the House leadership will have “much more to say” as they assess the situation.
Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone, a longtime Republican billionaire and mega donor, dit on Wednesday he felt “betrayed” by Trump and urged Americans to unite so that Biden could be “the most successful president in the history of this country.”
Langone donated $ 1.25 million in 2020 to the Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC to support a Republican majority in the Senate, and $ 600,000 to Americans for Prosperity Action, the network-linked super PAC formed by billionaire conservative donors 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 percent went to Republicans. The PAC board decided on Tuesday to temporarily suspend federal political disbursements.