10 corporations that kept their promises after January 6, 2021
After a violent mob stormed the Capitol building on January 6, 2021, hundreds of corporations took action to communicate to the public that democracy itself was more important than maximizing their political influence. These corporations pledged to stop donating to the 147 members of Congress who voted to overturn the election that day — or stop all political donations — in the wake of the attack. In both cases, the message was the same: standing up for democracy is more important than transactional politics.
Four years later, there has been no meaningful change in position among the 147 members who voted to undermine the democratic process. Except for former Congressman Tom Rice (R-SC), who retired in 2023, none of the members have expressed any regret about their vote. During the 2024 campaign, President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly called January 6, 2021, a "day of love" and pledged to pardon members of the mob who were convicted of crimes. Trump's candidacy was enthusiastically embraced by the same members of Congress who voted against certifying Biden's victory.
And yet, almost all corporations who pledged to stop supporting the politicians who voted to undermine democracy after January 6, 2021, have resumed their contributions.
On January 11, 2021, for example, Amazon released the following statement:
Given the unacceptable attempt to undermine a legitimate democratic process, the Amazon PAC has suspended contributions to any Member of Congress who voted to override the results of the US Presidential election. We intend to discuss our concerns directly with those Members we have previously supported and will evaluate their responses as we consider future PAC contributions.
Beginning in September 2022, however, Amazon quietly resumed donating to members who participated in an "unacceptable attempt to undermine a legitimate democratic process." In October 2022, Amazon told Popular Information that its policy was "not intended to be permanent." Amazon justified his reversal by noting that "[i]t’s been more than 21 months."
As of today, Amazon has donated to dozens of election deniers, tens of thousands more to committees dedicated to putting those members in power, and recently contributed $1 million to Trump's second inauguration.
Similarly, on January 11, 2021, AT&T released a statement saying its federal PAC had decided to "suspend contributions to members of Congress who voted to object to the certification of Electoral College votes."
Thirty-five days later, on February 22, 2021, AT&T donated to the House Conservatives Fund, the Leadership PAC of Congressman Mike Johnson (R-LA). Johnson, who is now the House Speaker, voted against certifying the election. Today, AT&T has donated over $1 million to over 100 members who voted to overturn the election. It also is a major donor to Trump's second inauguration.
The promise keepers
While most companies took the path of Amazon and AT&T, there are a few companies that have stood by their principles. Popular Information has identified 10 companies that pledged to stop donating to members of Congress that voted to overturn the election and, over the last four years, have not broken that promise.
Farmers Insurance
Following the Capitol insurrection, former Farmers Group CEO Jeff Dailey released a statement promising to suspend political donations. “Like many Americans, we were horrified by the acts of violence that took place in our nation’s capital. While we recognize and support all Americans’ right to peacefully protest and exercise free speech, we strongly condemn acts of violence and hateful rhetoric,” Dailey said in the statement, according to CNN. Since January 6, 2021, the insurance company has kept its promise and has not donated to any members of Congress who voted to overturn the election.
Unlike Farmers Group, several other insurance companies — including Cigna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Allstate — broke their promises to withhold their money from those who voted against certifying the 2020 election results.
Airbnb
After January 6, 2021, Airbnb released a statement promising to withhold donations from those who voted against certifying the election. “Airbnb strongly condemns last week’s attack on the US Capitol and the efforts to undermine our democratic process,” the company said. The company also released a safety plan for the inauguration, including canceling Airbnb reservations in Washington, D.C., made by those associated with a hate group and banning individuals involved in the Capitol insurrection from the platform. Since January 6, 2021, Airbnb has kept its promise and has not donated to any members of Congress who voted to overturn the election.
Expedia Group
While Expedia Group and Airbnb have not given any money to election deniers since 2021, other travel and hospitality companies have reneged on their vows to do the same. Marriott International and Hilton Worldwide, for example, have both donated to former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Nike
In January 2021, Nike released a statement promising to halt donations to members of Congress who voted to overturn the election. “Nike’s Political Action Committee (PAC) helps our employees support elected officials who understand our business and whose values align with our mission of serving athletes. These nonpartisan values rely upon upholding the principles of democracy,” the statement said. “Nike’s PAC will not support any member of Congress who ignores these principles, including those who voted to decertify the Electoral College results.” Since the Capitol insurrection, Nike has kept its promise and has not donated to any members of Congress who voted to overturn the election.
Clorox
Since 2021, Clorox has not donated any money to election deniers’ campaigns. Ecolab, a company selling similar products to Clorox’s, promised to stop donating to congressional candidates who previously voted against certifying the 2020 election, according to CNN. But during the 2024 election cycle, Ecolab donated thousands of dollars to Steve Scalise (R-LA), Kevin Hern (R-OK), and other members of Congress who tried to overturn the 2020 election.
General Mills
While General Mills upheld its pledge after January 6, 2021, Kraft Heinz has put tens of thousands of dollars into the hands of election deniers after making a similar vow not to do so.
Holland & Hart LLP
Holland & Hart, among the top 200 earning law firms in the world, has not donated to anyone who voted to overturn the 2020 elections. In contrast, Cozen O’Connor, an even bigger firm, reneged on its promise.
Qurate Retail
Unlike other retail brands like Amazon and Walmart that have not followed through on their vows not to give money to election deniers, Qurate Retail has kept its promise.
Whirlpool
Whirlpool, which terminated its political action committee in early 2023, did not give any money to people who voted to overturn the 2020 election. While Whirlpool kept its promise, competitor General Electric did not.
Lyft
Lyft has kept its promise to withhold donations to election deniers after January 6. While Uber never made such a promise, the company and its CEO recently donated $2 million to Trump’s inauguration fund.
Thank you for doing the work of tracking this! It's so helpful to have this list. I will support the companies that support democracy.
Very good information to have. Tragic that so very, very few corporations have put the national interests above their own.