Donations to Electoral College Objectors

One of the most pernicious lies used to foment insurrection in the US — to coincide with the certification of Electoral College results — was the lie that the election was rigged, stolen, or otherwise illegitimate. Supporting this lie were 147 elected representatives — 140 in the House, and 7 in the Senate. All were Republicans, and all of their objections and misinformation lent credibility to a lie that has misled and inflamed millions of Americans.

Many still objected to certifying some Electoral College results, even after their lives were threatened by an insurrection they helped legitimize and spur along.

An analysis by “The Geyser,” using data from OpenSecrets.org, shows that universities, scholarly non-profits, and scholarly publishing companies have donated to these politicians in the past year.

With major corporations — Bank of America, Ford, AT&T, CVS Health, ExxonMobil, FedEx, Amgen, Target, 3M, Blue Cross, Citigroup — all either suspending or “reviewing” donations to the politicians objecting to certifying certain Electoral College results, it seems useful to share the records of donations in our space, so that these organizations can be asked about their plans going forward.

Funding of Prominent Electoral College Objectors

These lists are likely incomplete, as full data sets — which were requested last week from OpenSecrets.org — were not available at the time of posting. However, based on searches, here are some identified relevant donors to these controversial leaders of the Electoral College objections.

Senate

1. Josh Hawley (R-MO) — RELX, Inc. PAC; Printing Industries of America Print PAC; Washington University in St. Louis; University of Missouri.
2. Ted Cruz (R-TX) — University of Texas.
3. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) — American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Dental Association.

House

1. Devin Nunes (R-CA) — University of California, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Dental Association.
2. Steve Scalise (R-LA) — American Academy of Dermatology Association, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Dental Association.
3. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) — American Academy of Dermatology Association.

Relevant Non-Profit Donors to the 147 EC Objectors

These are categorized by OpenSecrets.org as “top donors” to one or more of the 147 representatives who objected to an Electoral College result.

• American Academy of Dermatology Association — $125,500 to 8 of the 147.
• American Academy of Emergency Medicine — $12,500 to 1 of the 147.
• American Academy of Neurology — $10,000 to 1 of the 147.
• American Academy of Ophthalmology — $128,500 to 9 of the 147.
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons — $197,650 to 17 of the 147.
• American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry — $20,000 to 2 of the 147.
• American Association of Clinical Urologists — $14,500 to 1 of the 147.
• American Association of Neurological Surgeons — $30,000 to 3 of the 147.
• American Association of Nurse Anesthetists — $42,500 to 4 of the 147.
• American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons — $20,000 to 2 of the 147.
• American College of Cardiology — $35,000 to 3 of the 147.
• American College of Emergency Physicians — $57,000 to 5 of the 147.
• American College of Radiology — $145,500 to 10 of the 147.
• American College of Surgeons Professional Assoc. — $50,500 to 4 of the 147.
• American Dental Association — $188,000 to 11 of the 147.
• American Medical Association — $40,000 to 2 of the 147.
• American Optometric Association — $100,000 to 9 of the 147.
• American Physical Therapy Association — $50,000 to 4 of the 147.
• American Society for Anesthesiologists — $271,500 to 20 of the 147.
• American Society of Plastic Surgeons — $20,000 to 2 of the 147.

It will be worth watching to see if statements from these entities come out in the days ahead, and what their stance relative to their past and future support will be.

Correction: Wolters Kluwer has been removed from the list. I was alerted that these were individual donations, and that no officer, executive, or owner donated on behalf of the company, as employment policy forbids individuals from participating in political activity on behalf of the organization. My apologies for the confusion.

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