Corporate boycotts could ding coffers of Reschenthaler, Kelly campaigns

U.S. Reps. Guy Reschenthaler and Mike Kelly may have lost the financial support of several top corporate donors this week as a growing number of influential firms have announced they would withhold future cash from lawmakers who attempted to overturn the results of the presidential election.

Super PACs associated with some of the country’s most politically active corporations — such as AT&T, JPMorgan Chase, Comcast and Marriott International — have announced they would no longer donate to the campaigns of lawmakers who opposed the certification of electors for President-elect Joe Biden or who falsely claimed the election was “stolen” from President Donald Trump.

Both Kelly, R-Butler, and Reschenthaler, R-Peters, on Jan. 6 opposed counting Pennsylvania’s electors just hours after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol.

The suspension of political donations from moneyed corporate PACs could have a real effect on future elections should they continue for any meaningful amount of time, said Vinny Cannizzaro, director of The Arthur J. Glatfelter Institute for Public Policy at York College.

“If the party and lawmakers aren’t getting donations for a year or a year and a half, that takes us into a whole new election cycle that could really sway the direction of the country and who’s getting elected or not,” he said.

OpenSecrets.org, which tracks campaign contributions, shows Kelly and Reschenthaler have received donations from some of the companies changing their policies.

In 2020, according to OpenSecrets, Kelly’s campaign committee received $13,000 from Blue Cross Blue Shield and $10,000 apiece from Comcast and AT&T — all companies that have pledged to stop contributing to those who voted to oppose the election. He also received $10,000 from UPS and Bank of America, which are halting all PAC donations. CVS contributed $10,000 in 2020, but the company is among those reviewing all future payments.

In total, Comcast’s PAC has contributed at least $41,000 to Kelly’s campaign war chest, according to federal campaign finance reports.

According to OpenSecrets, Reschenthaler received $10,000 from Comcast, $5,000 from Amazon, $4,500 from Blue Cross Blue Shield and $4,000 from AT&T, which have cut off those who voted against the election. He also received $7,000 from UPS and $4,000 from Microsoft, both companies pausing PAC contributions.

“(The suspensions) are like a litmus test to receive donations,” Cannizzaro said. “It’s going to force people to think about the direction of the party and what elected officials will be supporting or not.”

All told, the political coffers of 147 Republican lawmakers stand to take a hit after last week’s failed attempt to override the voters.

It is unclear in some cases how long the donation suspensions will last. While some, such as Citigroup, offered a time element, other companies have been vague in their statements.