WASHINGTON (AP) – Republicans are concerned that a corporate reaction sparked by the deadly Capitol uprising could shrink a vital flow of campaign money, harming the party’s prospects of retaking the Senate in the next election.
The GOP already faces a tough Senate card in 2022, when 14 Democratic seats and 20 Republican seats will be on the ballot. That includes at least two open seats that Republicans will defend over GOP Sens’s retirement. Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania and Richard Burr from North Carolina.
But some in the party say the problem is bigger than the map. Eight Republican senators voted to reject Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden, even after the looting of the Capitol by a mob of Donald Trump supporters urged by the president to prevent Congress from taking Biden’s victory would certify. Five people died in the chaos, including a Capitol Police officer.
Allegations were swift, with more than a dozen corporate giants – including AT&T, Nike, Comcast, Dow, Marriott, Walmart, and Verizon – pledging to withhold donations from Republican lawmakers voting to reject the election results in Arizona or Pennsylvania . One such lawmaker, Florida Senator Rick Scott, is the new chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, a position that makes him the public face of the Senate’s Republican fundraising efforts.
“That’s the crux of the matter: is this a storm that will blow over, or is … challenging (Biden’s) Electoral College certification a scarlet ‘A’?” said Republican donor Dan Eberhart, who has contributed at least $ 115,000 to the Senate’s Republican efforts in recent years.
The lost contributions are not in themselves disastrous. Political action committees controlled by corporations and industry groups are limited to giving $ 5,000 to a candidate per year, a slice of the typical fundraising effort for most Senate candidates.
But two senior Republican strategists involved in Senate racing say the cumulative effect of the companies’ decisions could have a greater impact.
Both strategists, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal party considerations, say companies that have suspended political donations are also sending a strong signal to their executives, board members and employees to whom they should donate. And with Scott at the helm of the NRSC, that could affect the committee’s cash flow, they said.
Beyond the concerns, other pillars of GOP fundraising – including the US Chamber of Commerce, the National Rifle Association, and groups affiliated with the Koch brothers – can no longer count on solid financial backing.
The NRA announced on Friday that it had filed for bankruptcy after years of riotous spending and insider trading by top leaders. The Chamber of Commerce, which angered some Republicans when they recently started donating to Democrats, announced this week that it will withhold contributions from some Republicans because of their actions. And also the Koch Network has announced that it will investigate who it gives to after the uprising, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
“There are some members who will have lost the support of the US Chamber of Commerce through their actions,” said Neil Bradley, the chamber’s chief policy officer. “Our PAC will continue to support those candidates who demonstrate that kind of commitment to governance and democratic standards and our priorities.”
More worryingly, one of the most influential Republican mega donors, Sheldon Adelson, has passed away in recent days. That puts more pressure on the NRSC and the leading Senate Republican external group, Senate Leadership Fund, to bridge the gap.
Even before last week’s violence, the Republican sens. Texas’s Ted Cruz and Missouri’s Josh Hawley widespread anger as they spearheaded efforts to challenge Biden’s victory. Since the attack on the Capitol, both have been criticized even more severely by editorial staff and influential donors, including calls to step down. Both are seen as likely contenders in the White House in 2024.
Then there is Scott, a wealthy businessman and former Florida governor. He also voted to object to Biden’s victory.
“Daily reminder, Senate Republicans have elected one of the few senators who supported the big lie AFTER death and destruction in the Capitol to be their political leader,” tweeted former Missouri senator Claire McCaskill, a Democrat deposed by Hawley. “Rick Scott is in charge of the organization that R’s is trying to choose.”
Scott’s new position as chairman of the NRSC is widely seen as a prelude to a potential run in 2024 and one that will put him in close contact with a national network of the Republican Party’s largest donors.
On Wednesday, Scott released a video message after taking over the NRSC that was heavy on his biography and light on his plan to help Republicans win. That irritated some Republicans, who believe Scott has taken over the NRSC to help build a national donor network for an expected presidential bid, three Republican strategists said.
‘I have won four national elections. All races were close. In the process I raised a lot of money and spent a fortune myself, ”said Scott in the video. “I can say this with confidence: I will never ask a potential donor to contribute more than I have already given.”
In a statement, Chris Hartline, an NRSC spokesman and senator’s assistant, said that Scott was the party’s “best fundraiser” and that the committee “had no interest in nonsense from DC consultants who have no idea what they are talking about. to have. “
“Senator Scott has been clear that if people want higher taxes, more regulation, greater government and nationalized health care, they should feel free to give to Democrats,” Hartline said.
Some say it’s too early to say whether the company’s response will really hurt Republicans. They note that with the election just held, this is a time when there is usually little fundraising activity. And some are convinced that as Washington comes under unified Democratic control, business groups will once again find common cause among Republicans.
“A lot of these talks are premature and shortsighted,” said Scott Reed, a longtime Republican strategist. A crowd re-regulation is taking over Congress and the White House. This is a decision that many will regret in the summer. “
The eight GOP senators who voted to uphold the Electoral College census were Cruz, Hawley, Scott, Cindy Hyde Smith of Mississippi, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, and Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming.
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Alan Fram, Associated Press author, contributed to this report.