On the controversial issue of the Joe State election reform bill, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday (April 7) that business leaders’ pushback against Georgia’s new election integrity law is foolish. He called on major U.S. companies to stay out of politics and not pick sides.
The Joe State Senate recently passed Election Bill 202 (pdf), which was recently signed by Governor Brian Kemp. The bill imposes new restrictions on mail-in ballots and greater legislative oversight of elections. It includes stricter voter ID laws, limits the use of ballot boxes and gives the Georgia Legislature more control over elections. Supporters say these measures are necessary improvements to shore up integrity and build confidence in the state’s elections. But opponents, including business leaders, argue the measures amount to voter suppression and hit communities of color particularly hard.
“My warning to corporate America is to stay out of politics,” McConnell said at a news conference in Kentucky on Tuesday (April 6), before adding, “I’m not talking about political contributions.”
McConnell earlier accused some corporate executives of being corrupted by “outrageous disinformation” and “acting like an awakened parallel government.
In the latest statement by corporate America on election reform efforts, 200 companies, including PayPal, Dow, Microsoft and Uber, issued a joint statement saying they oppose bills that they say could make voting more difficult.
Executives from companies including Estee Lauder, HP, LinkedIn and Levi’s issued a statement saying, “There are hundreds of bills in dozens of states across the country that threaten to make voting more difficult.”
McConnell said Tuesday that business leaders “have a right to be involved in the political process,” but said, “If I ran a large company, I would not be involved in politics.”
“Don’t pick sides in these big fights.” McConnell said, “It’s foolish to jump into the middle of a highly controversial issue.”
He also warned of the potential risks of wading into a political fight.
“Republicans drink Coca-Cola, too, and we fly and love baseball.” McConnell said, “It angers a lot of Republican fans.” He was presumably referring to Delta Airline and Major League Baseball (MLB).
McConnell said, “There will be serious consequences if corporations become a tool for far-left mobs to hijack our country from outside the constitutional order.” He did not elaborate on what the potentially serious consequences would be.
In a statement Friday, former President Donald Trump (R-Texas) said, “Boycott baseball and all awakening corporations that interfere with free and fair elections.”
In the wake of the 2020 election controversy, Republican and Democratic lawmakers across the country have been pulling in opposite directions, proposing legislation that either reduces barriers and guardrails to voting or seeks to strengthen the integrity of elections. So far this year, 106 bills aimed at tightening voting standards have been introduced in 28 states, according to The Brennan Center for Justice. Meanwhile, 35 states have introduced a total of 406 bills to reduce voting restrictions.
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