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Washington D.C. – Today, Accountable.US, a nonpartisan investigative research organization, released its updated analysis of corporate contributions to those in Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 election in the immediate aftermath of the insurrection on January 6th. The review found Fortune 500 companies and corporate trade associations donated over $2.2 million in September and early-October 2022 alone to the group that has been dubbed the “Sedition Caucus” – and total donations from corporate interests to these lawmakers since the violent coup attempt now stand at more than $30 million.

The most recent filings also show at least 18 major corporate interests gave for the first time since the insurrection, including Amazon, Caterpillar, and Rite Aid. Notably, Caterpillar was a top-3 giver in this most recent period, totaling $91,000.

For Q3 of 2022, the watchdog found election objectors received $5.7 million from corporate interests — the third highest contribution amount in a quarter since January 2021. 

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The further we get from the violent coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol, clearly the more carefree corporations get about writing big checks to election deniers in Congress that tried to finish what the insurrectionists started. But there is zero difference between a big corporate donation made to an election objector in January 2021 or October 2022 within the same cycle. It’s essentially a wink and a nod from corporations that at the end of the day, they’ll be there to support lawmakers determined to undermine democracy when they think the public is no longer paying attention.

Yet many recent polls show that the public wants corporations to do more to stand up for democracy, making it a risky business decision for CEOs to write off their customers, employees, and shareholders that want to buy from, work for, or invest in a company that shares their democratic ideals. It’s worrying that so many companies believe it’s worth jeopardizing their bottom line just to curry favor with extremist politicians, no matter what they’ve done to threaten democracy. The sooner CEOs listen to consumers, the sooner they’ll recognize that those who use their power and influence to preserve democracy will be doing what’s best for their business and the economy."

Accountable.US spokesperson, Lindsey Melki

In August 2021, Accountable.US launched its searchable tracker that allows the public to search Fortune 500 corporations and big corporate trade associations that have contributed to those in Congress that voted against certifying the 2020 election since January of last year — including corporations that made pledges to halt or pause donations to the lawmakers that perpetuated the Big Lie.

The latest analysis also comes on the heels of the recent launch of Accountable.US’ American Democracy Scorecard – a living, public interactive resource that scores all Fortune 100 companies’ actions around critical democracy issues. In its initial review, Accountable.US found 66 percent of Fortune 100 companies received an F grade on their commitment to preserving democracy.

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