Donations from corporate and trade association PACs declined in the 2022 cycle by 10 percent to Republicans who voted against certifying the 2020 election for President Joe Biden, according to an analysis of campaign reports by Accountable.us.
The nonpartisan group, which seeks to curb corporate influence in politics, looked at the political action committees of Fortune 500 companies and more than 700 trade associations and found the 10 percent dip between the 2020 and 2022 cycles to the election objectors who ran in both elections. Accountable.us shared its findings first with CQ Roll Call.
The Jan. 6, 2021, votes against certifying electors from Arizona and Pennsylvania followed an attack on the Capitol by rioters trying to keep then-President Donald Trump in office despite his loss in both the popular and the electoral vote. After the attack, many business and industry PACs announced they would pause donations to lawmakers who voted against upholding the election, and some paused all donations.
Accountable.us found that overall, the 10 percent drop meant PACs gave $3.7 million less to those lawmakers than they did in the previous election cycle. Most business PACs restarted donations before the 2022 election, especially as Republicans appeared favored to win the majority in the House. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California and Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana are among the 147.