Americans split over companies halting donations to lawmakers who objected to Electoral College: poll

The public is torn over the decision by a wave of companies to halt their monetary donations to lawmakers who last week objected to certifying the Electoral College results, according to a new Ipsos poll.

The poll shows that 44 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of corporations cutting off the contributions, while 41 percent have a negative opinion.

The results come as a mushrooming number of companies say they are withholding donations from politicians who looked to subvert the presidential election. Six Republican senators and 137 Republican House members voted to object to the Electoral College results from Arizona or Pennsylvania last week in proceedings that were interrupted by the violent mob that ransacked the Capitol. 

Corporate giants such as JPMorgan Chase, Coca Cola, Disney, Walmart and more have distanced themselves from the lawmakers, arguing claims that the presidential election was fraudulent contributed to last week’s mayhem.

“The insurrection at our nation’s Capitol was a direct assault on one of our country’s most revered tenets: the peaceful transition of power. In the immediate aftermath of that appalling siege, members of Congress had an opportunity to unite — an opportunity that some sadly refused to embrace,” Disney said in a statement this week. “In light of these events, we have decided we will not make political contributions in 2021 to lawmakers who voted to reject the certification of the Electoral College votes.”

In the Ipsos poll, 74 percent of Americans said businesses should lead the national call for unity and support for the peaceful transition of power from President Trump to President-elect Joe Biden. Fifty-seven percent said it was appropriate for businesses and executives to comment on last week’s riots.

“Virtual C-suites at businesses large and small currently echo with two vexing questions,” said Scott Farrell, president of Golin’s global Corporate Communications practice. “CEOs want to know: ‘Should we comment about what’s going on in America? And if we do, what should we say?’ “

“Companies and their leaders should issue positive or optimistic statements related to the inauguration as a possible pivot point away from divisiveness,” he added. “But those comments should be as non-partisan as possible.”

The Ipsos poll, conducted on behalf of Golin, surveyed 2,010 adults from Jan. 12-13 and has a credibility interval of 2.5 percent.