Alex Constantine - October 23, 2022
Texas corporations including AT&T and Valero among biggest donors to election-denying candidates
A new study shows that corporate PACs have funneled $35.6 million since January 2021 to candidates who repeat Trump's 'big lie.'
AT&T donated $619,500 to political candidates who have denied or questioned the outcome of the 2020 election, according to a Popular Information report.Texas-based corporations — including at least one headquartered in San Antonio — were among the biggest donors to political candidates who continue to deny the results of the 2020 election, according to an analysis by Popular Information.
Since January 2021, corporate PACs have shoveled $35.6 million dollars into the coffers of candidates for federal and top statewide offices who deny or question the integrity of the election, according to the online news site's number crunching.
The top donor corporations on Popular Information's list include Dallas-based telecom giant AT&T, which ranked at No. 2 with $619,500 in contributions to election-denying candidates. Those come despite a company pledge that it would “suspend contributions to members of Congress” who voted to overturn the election.
San Antonio-based refiner Valero Corp., one of the city's biggest employers, ended up at No. 16 on the list with $255,000 in donations. Irving-based ExxonMobil slid in at No. 21 with $205,000, and Forth Worth-based American Airlines landed at No. 47 with $128,500.
Popular Information's list focused on 291 candidates named in a Washington Post analysis identifying prominent election-denying candidates, including Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and 25 other Lone Star State Republicans.
Other companies that landed on the list with significant San Antonio operations include Boeing (No. 5), Lockheed Martin (No. 8) and Toyota (No. 36).
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