Three major corporations say they will stop donating to members of Congress who tried to overturn the election
On January 6, a violent mob stormed the Capitol of the United States, disrupting the joint session to confirm Joe Biden's victory. The incident left five people dead, including a member of the Capitol police who was crushed to death in the mele.
Now, three major corporations tell Popular Information that they will stop contributing to Republican members of Congress who encouraged the rioters by objecting to the certification of the Electoral College vote.
The mob was summoned and whipped into a frenzy by Trump, who still maintains he won the election and relentlessly pushes baseless allegations of fraud. But none of it would be possible without the complicity of certain Republican members of Congress. January 6 is normally of no particular significance in the process of selecting a president. Congress opens up some envelopes and confirms the winner, who was already determined by the meeting of the Electoral College in December.
But there were 147 Republican members of Congress, including eight Senators, who objected to the certified results of the Electoral College in one or more states. The participation of these members of Congress convinced millions of people that it was possible that, on January 6, the results of the election could be overturned and Trump could be installed for a second term. This was a lie, but tens of thousands of people showed up in Washington D.C. anyway.
The objections also forced what would normally be a brief administrative exercise into a lengthy ordeal. An objection to the certification of the vote in Arizona forced the House and the Senate to separate into their respective chambers to "debate" the objections for hours. This provided time needed for the mob to launch their violent attack on the Capitol and disrupt the proceedings. The House and Senate were forced to adjourn and members retreated into secure facilities as the rioters roamed the Capitol, posing for photos.
Before the riots began, 14 Senators said they planned to join the objections for one or more states. But eight Senators — Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Rick Scott (R-FL), Roger Marshall (R-KS), John Kennedy (R-LA), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) — followed through with their objections when the Senate reconvened after order was restored. As the world watched in horror, these Senators carried through with their plans to validate baseless allegations of fraud and undermine the democratic system.
The Kansas City Star said that Hawley had "blood on his hands" and should resign. The Houston Chronicle said Cruz's "lies cost lives" and called for his resignation.
Popular Information contacted 144 corporations that, through their corporate PACs, donated to one or more of these eight Senators in the 2020 election cycle. Popular Information asked if they would continue to support these Senators in the future. In response, three major companies said they would stop donating to any member of Congress who objected to the certification of the Electoral College vote.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a federation of companies that provide health insurance for 107 million people in 50 states. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association PAC, known as BLUEPAC, typically favors Republican candidates. In the last three cycles, the PAC has donated $959,060 to Republican candidates and $359,550 to Democratic candidates.
During the 2020 cycle, BLUEPAC donated to three Senators who objected to the Electoral College vote — $10,000 to Tuberville, $1,000 to Marshall, and $500 to Hawley.
In a statement to Popular Information, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association President and CEO Kim Keck said it was suspending all support to the 147 Republicans who voted "to subvert the results of November’s election by challenging Electoral College results."
During the 2020 cycle, Marriott's PAC donated $1000 to Hawley's campaign and another $1,000 to Hawley's leadership PAC.
Marriott told Popular Information that it will stop donating to all the members who voted against certification. "We have taken the destructive events at the Capitol to undermine a legitimate and fair election into consideration and will be pausing political giving from our Political Action Committee to those who voted against certification of the election," a spokesperson said. The company did not indicate when, if ever, it would resume supporting those 147 Republicans.
Commerce Bancshares is a bank holding company best known for operating Commerce Bank. It currently has an $8 billion market cap and $54 billion under management. Commerce Bancshares PAC favors Republican candidates over Democratic candidates by a six-to-one margin.
During the 2020 cycle, Commerce Bancshares PAC donated $2,500 to Marshall.
Commerce Bancshares told Popular Information that it has "suspended all support for officials who have impeded the peaceful transfer of power."
A fourth company, Boston Scientific, told Popular Information that it was suspending all its PAC activity "in light of recent events" pending a review.
The other companies that responded to Popular Information's inquiry were less definitive in their future plans.
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Judd Legum and Tesnim Zekeria
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On January 6, a violent mob stormed the Capitol of the United States, disrupting the joint session to confirm Joe Biden's victory. The incident left five people dead, including a member of the Capitol police who was crushed to death in the mele.
Now, three major corporations tell Popular Information that they will stop contributing to Republican members of Congress who encouraged the rioters by objecting to the certification of the Electoral College vote.
The mob was summoned and whipped into a frenzy by Trump, who still maintains he won the election and relentlessly pushes baseless allegations of fraud. But none of it would be possible without the complicity of certain Republican members of Congress. January 6 is normally of no particular significance in the process of selecting a president. Congress opens up some envelopes and confirms the winner, who was already determined by the meeting of the Electoral College in December.
But there were 147 Republican members of Congress, including eight Senators, who objected to the certified results of the Electoral College in one or more states. The participation of these members of Congress convinced millions of people that it was possible that, on January 6, the results of the election could be overturned and Trump could be installed for a second term. This was a lie, but tens of thousands of people showed up in Washington D.C. anyway.
The objections also forced what would normally be a brief administrative exercise into a lengthy ordeal. An objection to the certification of the vote in Arizona forced the House and the Senate to separate into their respective chambers to "debate" the objections for hours. This provided time needed for the mob to launch their violent attack on the Capitol and disrupt the proceedings. The House and Senate were forced to adjourn and members retreated into secure facilities as the rioters roamed the Capitol, posing for photos.
Before the riots began, 14 Senators said they planned to join the objections for one or more states. But eight Senators — Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Rick Scott (R-FL), Roger Marshall (R-KS), John Kennedy (R-LA), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) — followed through with their objections when the Senate reconvened after order was restored. As the world watched in horror, these Senators carried through with their plans to validate baseless allegations of fraud and undermine the democratic system.
The Kansas City Star said that Hawley had "blood on his hands" and should resign. The Houston Chronicle said Cruz's "lies cost lives" and called for his resignation.
Popular Information contacted 144 corporations that, through their corporate PACs, donated to one or more of these eight Senators in the 2020 election cycle. Popular Information asked if they would continue to support these Senators in the future. In response, three major companies said they would stop donating to any member of Congress who objected to the certification of the Electoral College vote.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a federation of companies that provide health insurance for 107 million people in 50 states. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association PAC, known as BLUEPAC, typically favors Republican candidates. In the last three cycles, the PAC has donated $959,060 to Republican candidates and $359,550 to Democratic candidates.
During the 2020 cycle, BLUEPAC donated to three Senators who objected to the Electoral College vote — $10,000 to Tuberville, $1,000 to Marshall, and $500 to Hawley.
In a statement to Popular Information, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association President and CEO Kim Keck said it was suspending all support to the 147 Republicans who voted "to subvert the results of November’s election by challenging Electoral College results."
Marriott International operates more than 7000 properties worldwide and, even in the midst of a pandemic, is valued at over $42 billion. Historically, Marriott's PAC has favored Republicans but, beginning in 2010 began evenly splitting contributions roughly evenly between the two parties.
During the 2020 cycle, Marriott's PAC donated $1000 to Hawley's campaign and another $1,000 to Hawley's leadership PAC.
Marriott told Popular Information that it will stop donating to all the members who voted against certification. "We have taken the destructive events at the Capitol to undermine a legitimate and fair election into consideration and will be pausing political giving from our Political Action Committee to those who voted against certification of the election," a spokesperson said. The company did not indicate when, if ever, it would resume supporting those 147 Republicans.
Commerce Bancshares is a bank holding company best known for operating Commerce Bank. It currently has an $8 billion market cap and $54 billion under management. Commerce Bancshares PAC favors Republican candidates over Democratic candidates by a six-to-one margin.
During the 2020 cycle, Commerce Bancshares PAC donated $2,500 to Marshall.
Commerce Bancshares told Popular Information that it has "suspended all support for officials who have impeded the peaceful transfer of power."
All three companies appear to allow, to varying degrees, for the possibility of resuming their support of these members sometime in the future. But their commitment to indefinitely suspend contributions to more than half of the Republicans in the House and Senate is significant.
A fourth company, Boston Scientific, told Popular Information that it was suspending all its PAC activity "in light of recent events" pending a review.
Boston Scientific previously donated $7,000 to three of the eight Senators who objected — $3,000 to Marshall, $3,000 to Scott, and $1,000 to Lummis.
The other companies that responded to Popular Information's inquiry were less definitive in their future plans.
(Continued)
