Google wants its money back.
The tech giant asked a Mississippi Senate candidate under fire for racially charged comments for a refund on its campaign contribution. The candidate, Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, heads into Tuesday’s runoff election for U.S. Senate facing Democrat Mike Espy.
Google revealed earlier in November that the company’s PAC had made a $5,000 campaign contribution to Hyde-Smith, and on Monday evening it joined companies including Walmart, AT&T, and Facebook in requesting a refund on their campaign contributions.
[LIST: Companies asking for a refund from embattled Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith before Mississippi runoff]
“While we support candidates who promote pro-growth policies for business and technology, we do not condone these remarks and would not have made such a contribution had we known about them,” Google said through a spokeswoman when the donation was first announced.
Earlier this month, video surfaced of Hyde-Smith saying she thought it was a “good idea” to make it more challenging for certain demographics to vote and that if a supporter “invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row.”
She later issued an apology to “anyone that was offended” during a public debate with Espy last week. If Espy wins the race, he would be the first African-American to represent Mississippi in the Senate since Reconstruction following the Civil War.
President Trump participated in several campaign events for Hyde-Smith on Monday, and he praised the job she has done since she was appointed senator in April to replace retired Thad Cochran.
“I’ve known her for a period of time now as senator,” Trump told reporters Monday afternoon. “She’s been an excellent senator. She’s done a great job. She’s somebody that’s respected in the Senate.”
