Toyota resumes PAC donations to GOP election objectors after pause

Toyota has ended its pause on PAC donations to Republican lawmakers who objected to certifying the 2020 election results in the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

The automaker’s PAC gave $1,000 to the campaigns of Reps. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), David Kustoff (R-Tenn.), Garret Graves (R-La.) and Trent Kelly (R-Miss.) last month, according to a Federal Election Commission filing. 

Toyota Motor Corp. was one of the top corporate PAC donors to GOP objectors in the months following the Capitol attack but decided to pause its donations to those lawmakers last July amid public scrutiny. Last month’s donations reveal that the company has reversed course again.

“After a pause of six months, during which time Toyota had extensive discussions with internal and external stakeholders, Toyota’s employee PAC, like others in the auto industry and nearly 800 companies and industry groups nationwide, has resumed contributing to some members of Congress,” the company said in a statement. 

It added that it “will not support those who, by their words and actions, create an atmosphere that incites violence.”

Popular Information first reported the news of Toyota’s donations. 

The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump GOP political group that pressured Toyota to pause donations to election objectors last year, said Monday it would restart an ad campaign targeting Toyota after the company changed course.

“Toyota broke its promise and rejoined the sedition caucus,” Lincoln Project co-founder Reed Galen said in a statement. “Companies like Toyota benefit from the free markets that are protected by our democratic institutions, but they’re endorsing and supporting Big Lie politicians who backed the violent attack on the Capitol.”

Most major corporations announced that they would pause PAC donations to GOP objectors following the Capitol attack, but many have reversed course, including Intel Corp., which ended its giving freeze last month. 

While the 147 lawmakers who voted against certifying President Biden’s win have brought in millions of dollars in PAC donations, they’re receiving far less corporate PAC support than they did in previous election cycles.