PAC FUNDING FOR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO VOTED AGAINST CERTIFYING THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
Five months after the January 6th insurrection — which prompted companies to make bold commitments to stop funding lawmakers who voted against certifying the 2020 election — the question remains: does it make a significant difference if business PACs continue to refrain from funding those who denied the election results?
The Leadership Now Project analyzed the data to answer this critical question. The analysis demonstrates that business PAC funding matters significantly. Many believe that business PACs are relatively inconsequential — since on a whole they amount to only about 15% of total funding for members of Congress — but the numbers, as outlined below, suggest otherwise.
The Analysis
The charts and dataset allow you to see the breakdown of business PAC funding by individual lawmakers, based on House and Senate, as well as by state, revealing where there are concentrations of lawmakers who receive business PAC funding. Business PACs include corporate PACs and business associations.
The Methodology
The analysis is based on the latest campaign finance data available on OpenSecrets. The raw dataset can also be viewed here.
FULL ANALYSIS HERE
INSIGHT #1
Over half of the lawmakers who objected to the election results received more than 25% of their funding from business PACs, and of those, 25 received more than 50% from business PACs.
Insight #2
The data reveals there are concentrations of lawmakers who receive high levels of business PAC funding in hotly contested states, particularly in Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania.
Insight #3
If business PACs stopped their political giving as promised, 25 House Republicans would lose more than 50% of funding.
Leadership Now Commentary
Companies can demonstrate that they genuinely support the legitimacy of the 2020 election results by staying accountable to their commitments to pull back funding. At a moment when 26% of Americans and 55% of Republicans still doubt the legitimacy of the election, and members of Congress who refused to accept the results are consolidating their position, business commitments to pull back from these lawmakers make a meaningful difference in protecting our democracy.
For more information
To connect with Leadership Now for additional insights contact leadershipnow@mcpstrategies.com.