Google’s political action committee will not be contributing to any lawmaker’s reelection bid if they objected to the Electoral College certification of President Biden.
Google’s announcement made it the latest in a growing list of companies that have decided not to donate financially to any candidate associated with the certification objections and the subsequent Capitol riot, according to Axios.
“After the disturbing events at the Capitol, NetPAC paused all contributions while undertaking a review. Following that review, the NetPAC board has decided that it will not be making any contributions this cycle to any member of Congress who voted against certification of the election results,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
More than 130 House Republicans and eight Senate Republicans voted against certifying Biden’s electoral victories in Arizona, Pennsylvania, or both states. The joint session of Congress in which those lawmakers made their objections known was interrupted by the deadly mob that breached the Capitol building.
Google did not donate to any of those eight senators, although it donated various amounts of money ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to more than 50 senators, a majority of whom are Republicans, in 2019-2020, according to Open Secrets.
Comparatively, House Republicans will be harder hit from the decision.
The search engine company donated more than $190,000 to 45 House Republicans who voted against certifying Biden’s electoral victory. Some of the most prominent Republicans to receive campaign contributions include House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Minority Whip Steve Scalise, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, all of whom received $10,000 from the company, records showed.
The donations to this group of Republicans is only a fraction of the more than $1.1 million Google contributed to federal candidates in this election cycle in total.
The search engine joins a growing list of companies that have decided to pause political contributions for lawmakers who objected to certifying the election results, a list that includes Nike, Disney, Cisco, Wells Fargo, Boeing, United Airlines, McDonald’s, and Walmart.
Facebook said it will not donate to those lawmakers. Marriott International, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Commerce Bancshares, which donated to at least one of the nearly 150 lawmakers who objected to the certification of Biden’s victory, all said they are suspending their donations as well.
Between companies refusing to donate to their campaigns and social media platforms banning former President Donald Trump, a number of lawmakers have alleged that they’re victims of censorship.
Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, was the first senator to announce his intention to object to the certification. He has faced backlash in the aftermath of the Capitol attack and his objection, but he wrote an opinion article for the New York Post on Sunday headlined: “Sen. Hawley: It’s time to stand up against the muzzling of America.”
