DETROIT – After the deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol Building and objections to the 2020 General Election results, some companies are taking a second look at how they spend their money in D.C.
The 2020 election cycle was the most expensive in history and a lot of that was spent in Michigan. If it’s money that talks in politics, then Michigan businesses are speaking loudly.
On Thursday, the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce announced its political action committee (PAC) is reevaluating who it gives its money too. In 2020, the chamber gave more than $20,000 in donations to candidates on both sides of the aisle, including Rep. Lisa McClain, voted to object the election results in Pennsylvania and Arizona.
In a joint statement, members of the chamber said they “Expect all leaders not to traffic in falsehoods, to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, to respect the will of Michigan voters, to uphold enduring American fundamental values.”
The chamber joins several other major corporations rethinking their donations. Rocket Companies, Ford Motor Company and GM all gave out millions to candidates and parties in the 2020 election cycle -- all have said they are either suspending new donations or rethinking their standards for donating to political parties and candidates.
Midland’s Dow Incorporated -- which gave more than $370,000 in 2020 -- said it would be stopping its contributions to “any member of Congress who voted to object to the certification of the presidential election,” but only for the next election cycle.
All of the companies rethinking their donations don’t contribute on their own, rather through action committees or other subsidiaries, but it is their voice in politics. Other major Michigan companies like Lear, Whirlpool and Kellogg’s have not said whether they’ll be suspending donations or changing how they spend their political dollars, but pressure is on.