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For Immediate Release
January, 11 2021, 11:00pm EDT
Contact:
Madison Donzis, madison@unbendablemedia.com
UltraViolet Publishes List of Top Corporate Donors to GOP Members of Congress Participating in Efforts to Undermine the 2020 Presidential Election
Women’s Group Calls on Fortune 250 Companies to Stop All Political Contributions to GOP Politicians, Candidates, PACs and Committees Until the Party Stops Enabling Extremism and Removes Members Who Supported the Insurrection in DC
WASHINGTON
UltraViolet, a leading national women's organization, has released a list of the top corporate donors to Republican members of Congress who supported Trump's attempted insurrection and have participated in efforts to undermine the 2020 presidential election.
This week, major companies, including Facebook, Microsoft, Google and Blackrock announced that they were pausing all donations, while Amazon, American Express, Marriott, BlueCross and Commerce Bank announced that they were pulling donations to those who took part in the insurrection attempting to overthrow US democracy.
According to data collected by UltraViolet's ReproReceipts campaign, an effort to hold corporations accountable for donations to extreme anti-choice candidates:
* In 2020, the top corporate donors to Rep. Mo Brooks, who actively supported Trump's insurrection and was cited as a "co-conspirator", included:
- Lockheed Martin donated $8,000 to Brook's election campaign.
- Boeing donated $5,000 to Brook's election campaign.
- Northrop Grumman donated $5,000 to Brook's election campaign.
* In 2020, the top corporate donors to Rep. Andy Biggs, who actively supported Trump's insurrection and was cited as a "co-conspirator", included:
- AT&T donated $10,000 to Biggs' election campaign.
- Boeing donated $8,000 to Biggs' election campaign.
- Intel donated $6,000 to Biggs' election campaign.
* In 2020, the top corporate donors to Rep. Paul Gosar, who actively supported Trump's insurrection and was cited as a "co-conspirator", included:
- Freeport-McMoRan donated $5,000 to Gosar's election campaign.
- Union Pacific donated $2,000 to Gosar's election campaign.
- AT&T donating $2,000 to Gosar's election campaign.
* In 202, the top corporate donors to Rep. Mary Miller, who actively supported Trump's insurrection, telling the crowd that "Hitler was right,"included:
- Coca-Cola donated $3,000 to Miller's election campaign.
UltraViolet also published the top corporate donors to Republican Senators who either supported and stoked Trump's attempted insurrection, or used their positions in the Senate to attempt to undermine and overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election:
* In 2018, the top corporate donors to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) included:
- Valero Energy donated $46,000.00 to Cruz' reelection campaign.
- Coca-Cola donated $12,500.00 to Cruz' reelection campaign.
- Pzifer donated $10,000 to Cruz' reelection campaign.
- Charter donated $6,000 to Cruz' reelection campaign.
* In 2018, the top corporate donors to Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) included:
- Altria donated $5,000 to Scott's campaign.
- Caterpillar donated $5,000 to Scott's campaign.
- Chevron donated $5,000 to Scott's campaign.
* In 2018, the top corporate donors to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) included:
- Marathon Petroleum donated $11,000 to Hawley's campaign.
- Chevron donated $10,000 to Hawley's campaign.
- Emerson Electric donated $10,000 to Hawley's campaign.
- Exxonmobil donated $10,000 to Hawley's campaign.
* In 2016, the top corporate donors to Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) included:
- Delta Airlines donated $5,000 to Kennedy's campaign.
- Chevron donated $5,000 to Kennedy's campaign.
UltraViolet's data was collected as part of the organization's "ReproReceipts" campaign - an effort to highlight the discrepancy between corporate America's public statements in support of gender equity and their political giving to extreme anti-choice candidates.
"The attack on the Capitol and the push to undermine our democracy through objecting to the results of a free and fair election should not be a surprise," said Sonja Spoo, Director of Reproductive Rights Campaigns at UltraViolet."Women of color, queer activists, and reproductive justice advocates have been warning about the extremism of the Republican party for years. This is the natural end-point of enabling and empowering politicians who espouse extremist viewpoints in the name of 'business' while ignoring the social justice impact of the policies these politicians promote and implement.
UltraViolet notes that these contributions not only work against equality for women, but also racial equity and democratic ideals citing the link between authoritarian tendencies and opposition to racial and gender equality.
"Anti-abortion stances by politicians, for example, have been a bellwether for a larger sexist ,racist, and anti-progress ideology and set of policies for decades, and the Republican party at all levels has embraced this extremism to remain in power. Corporate America has been complicit and now must be held accountable for how they have funded hate and fascism. There are no two sides to this. You either stand with democracy and stop funding those who seek to dismantle it, or you do not," added Spoo.
**For a full list of corporate contributions to Republicans who either supported Trump's attempted insurrection, or members of the Republican Party - including members of the US House of Representatives - who voted to undermine America's democracy and subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election, please contact Brett Abrams at brett@unbendablemedia.com.
UltraViolet is a powerful and rapidly growing community of people mobilized to fight sexism and create a more inclusive world that accurately represents all women, from politics and government to media and pop culture.
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