Toyota stops donations to certain Republicans after Lincoln Project ad criticized company
Toyota donated to the largest number of campaigns or leadership PACs tied to Republican election-objectors
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Toyota on Thursday afternoon announced that it would "stop contributing" campaign donations to Republicans who voted against "certification of certain states in the 2020 election" after The Lincoln Project criticized the company in a new ad.
The Lincoln Project took aim at Toyota in a video ad released Thursday condemning the company's donations to 38 of the 147 Republicans who voted against certifying the 2020 election results.
"We understand that the PAC decision to support select Members of Congress who contested the results troubled some stakeholders," Toyota said in a Thursday statement. "We are actively listening to our stakeholders and, at this time, we have decided to stop contributing to those Members of Congress who contested the certification of certain states in the 2020 election."
The anti-Trump super PAC's ad comes after the nonprofit watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) published a report on June 23 listing the corporations and industry PACs that contributed the most money to the 139 Republican representatives and eight Republican senators who voted against certification.
MILLIONS RAISED BY LINCOLN PROJECT GOES TO COMPANIES RUN BY GROUP'S FOUNDERS, RECORDS SHOW
Toyota has donated a total of $56,000 to the largest number of campaigns or leadership PACs tied to Republican election-objectors – 38 – compared to other corporations.
"Toyota vehicles feature safety detection systems, smartphone integration, and more white nationalism than you might've expected," the Lincoln Project tweeted on Thursday.
The video is part of an ad series from The Lincoln Project that will be released over the coming weeks "targeting the workforces at companies who have broken their pledges to withhold campaign funds to Members of Congress who enabled, empowered, and emboldened former president Trump and the insurrectionists," the PAC said in a press release.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM | TOYOTA MOTOR CORP. | 174.78 | +1.94 | +1.12% |
Corporations have faced mounting pressure to withhold political contributions to certain Republicans after Jan. 6. New GOP-led voting bills and legislation banning minors from receiving certain transgender medical treatment or preventing transgender athletes from competing on girls' sports teams have added to that pressure.
Toyota did not immediately respond to an inquiry from FOX Business.
More than 30 other companies or industry PACs donated at least $5,000 to election objectors. Nearly 200 corporations, including Toyota, promised to stop or reevaluate political donations following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
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"Given recent events and the horrific attack on the U.S. Capitol, we are assessing our future PAC criteria," the automaker told E&E News in January.
Since then, Toyota has resumed its donations to Republicans who voted against certification. Journalist Judd Legum has been keeping track of contributions from companies that promised to assess political donations following the riot.