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Companies halting contributions donated more than $25,000 to Baird
His votes not to certify the electoral results of two battleground states could cost a Greencastle lawmaker if companies remain true to their current courses.
In the ongoing fallout of recent events in Washington, D.C., dozens of companies have announced they will pause or halt some or all political donations.
In objecting to the certification of electoral votes in both Arizona and Pennsylvania, Congressman Jim Baird (R-Greencastle) was among the more than 130 GOP representatives and eight senators who voted to object to at least one state’s electoral count.
In the aftermath, more than 60 companies have taken some action regarding future political donations. Some are halting donations to the specific lawmakers who voted against certification, while others are halting contributions for now regardless of political affiliation or voting record.
There is no guarantee how long these self-imposed prohibitions on donations will last, as many have said they are halting donations until they can assess the spending policies of their political action committees (PACs).
However, these decisions could have a financial impact on Baird and others.
During 2019 and 2020, nine of these companies were listed among the top 100 donors to the Baird campaign, according to information from OpenSecrets.org. Combined, they donated $28,800 to Baird in the 2019-20 cycle.
Those making donations to the Baird campaign included:
• AT&T: $6,000
• Comcast: $5,000
• Marathon Petroleum: $5,000
• Deloitte: $2,800
• Amazon.com: $2,500
• Blue Cross Blue Shield: $2,500
• Boeing: $2,000
• Lilly: $2,000
• CME Group: $1,000
It should be noted that the $2,800 from Deloitte came not from its PAC, but from an individual or individuals in the name of the company. Such donations may not be affected.
It also remains unclear what impact, if any, this could have on Baird if he runs for a third term in 2022. Some of the companies may reassess their strategy and decide to donate again at some point in the more than 21 months leading up to the 2022 election.
Additionally, new donors to Baird are likely to step in over that time.
However, their combined donations of $28,800 represented more than a quarter the total $112,874 in contributions during the previous cycle.
The dispute over certification of the electoral votes in the two states — an effort that failed in both chambers of Congress — was exacerbated by President Donald Trump’s continued claims that the election was “stolen” and the storming of the U.S. Capitol by Trump’s supporters while Congress had convened for certification.
In the days that have followed, the immediate fallout has been more political and legal than financial.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump for incitement of insurrection, making Trump the first president to be impeached twice.
Baird joined the other seven GOP members of the Indiana delegation in dissenting. Baird also voted against impeaching Trump in December 2019.
There have also been dozens of arrests of those who breached the Capitol, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice warning the final total could number in the hundreds.