Disney won’t donate to Congress members who challenged Joe Biden’s win

The Walt Disney Company will cease donations to members of Congress who objected to President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral college win.

“The insurrection at our nation’s Capitol was a direct assault on one of our nation’s most revered tenets: the peaceful transition of power,” reads a Disney statement. “In the immediate aftermath of that appalling siege, Members of Congress had an opportunity to unite — an opportunity that some sadly refused to embrace. 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.”

That’s significant news in Florida, where the Walt Disney Company operates its largest theme park and resort property. Sen. Rick Scott objected to Pennsylvania’s slate of electors and 12 members of the House objected to both Pennsylvania and Arizona.

The Center for Responsive Politics reports the Walt Disney Company made more than $19 million in federal political donations in the 2020 cycle alone. The corporation wrote checks for candidates on both sides of the aisle, donating nearly $1.2 million to Biden’s Presidential campaign but also almost $656,000 to the Republican National Committee and nearly $627,000 to the DNC Services Corp.

That said, more than 98% of those donations came from individuals, and it’s unclear how bound they will be by the corporate statement. Only about $360,000 was donated directly from the Walt Disney Company itself.

The Center’s analysis of donations over time also shows the company has increasingly directed a higher percentage of its donations to Democrats. All votes cast in Congress objecting to Biden electors were made by Republicans.

The news comes just as doubt grows around Scott’s fundraising following his vote to challenge Biden electors. That’s important as Florida’s junior Senator just took over as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Campaign, where he’s tasked with raising money nationwide for GOP Senate candidates in the 2022 cycle. The rebuke from a company with such a high-profile presence in the former Florida Governor’s home state only imperils Scott’s new leadership post further.

Notably, the statement only ruled out donations for the duration of 2021, leaving open the possibility the company could donate to lawmakers who backed certification objections next year when members of Congress actually seek reelection. Scott’s Senate term ends in 2024.