Jacobs' challenge to election could cost him campaign cash

Dozens of corporations and organizations have announced that their political action committees will not give money to lawmakers – such as Jacobs – who voted against certifying the Electoral College results from swing states. Other political action committees have suspended their political giving entirely, at least for now.

Among those PACs that curtailed their giving after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, 14 gave Jacobs money for his June 2020 primary, the June 2020 special election where he won his seat in Congress or the fall campaign where he won re-election. Those contributions totaled $53,000, or 17% of the total amount of PAC money raised by Jacobs, an Orchard Park Republican.

That's not a huge sum for a candidate who pulled in a total of $2.1 million for his 2020 campaigns. But given that the fall election left Jacobs with only $10,235 in his campaign account, and that he still hasn't repaid the $500,000 loan he gave to his own campaign, Jacobs is going to need all the campaign cash he can get as he heads into a 2022 re-election campaign in a reconfigured district.

Nevertheless, Jacobs' political consultant, Cam Savage, downplayed the contributions boycotts that are facing the 147 members of Congress who, hours after the failed insurrection, voted against certifying swing-state election results that swung the presidency to Democrat Joe Biden.

“Congressman Jacobs believes his responsibility is to defend the Constitution and represent his constituents and their needs, not special interests," Savage said. "This focus on representing his community is one of the reasons he’s one of the region's best fundraisers, with 85% of contributions coming from individual donors and 90% of those from Western New York.”

The Buffalo News calculated the amount of money Jacobs got from political action committees that have curtailed their giving by juxtaposing federal campaign records with lists of PACs that paused or halted campaign contributions after the Capitol riot. The Popular Information website, along with the Hill newspaper, compiled those lists.

The News analysis found that six PACs that gave money to Jacobs last year subsequently announced that they will not contribute to lawmakers who refused to certify the election results. Those six PACs gave Jacobs a total of $25,500 for his 2020 campaigns.

Bluepac, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association PAC, was among Jacobs' largest corporate donors, giving him $10,000 for his 2020 elections. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association was also among the most outspoken entities criticizing lawmakers who voted against certifying the election results.

"In light of this week’s violent, shocking assault on the United States Capitol, and the votes of some members of Congress to subvert the results of November’s election by challenging Electoral College results, BCSBA will suspend contributions to those lawmakers who voted to undermine our democracy," the association's president and CEO, Kim Keck, said in a Jan. 8 statement. "These contributions are made through our PAC, which is supported solely by employee contributions."

Similarly, Candi Wolff, the head of global government affairs at Citigroup, sent a memo to employees saying: "We will not support candidates who do not respect the rule of law." Citigroup's PAC gave Jacobs $1,500 last year.

PACs representing AT&T, Verizon, KPMG Partners and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce also gave money to Jacobs last year, but this year indicated that they won't donate to politicians who questioned the election results. 

Eight political committees – which gave a total of $27,500 to Jacobs last year – said they were pausing or reviewing their political giving in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. That includes PACs representing Goldman Sachs, the American Bankers Association, the National Association of Realtors, United Parcel Service, General Motors and three prominent DC lobbying firms.

The campaign contribution boycott is just one of the challenges Jacobs has faced since his vote against certifying the election results. A progressive group based in the 27th Congressional District, which he represents, paid for a billboard calling for Jacobs' resignation. And local progressives on Twitter have been doing the same thing, alleging he has "blood on his hands" for questioning the election results after the Capitol riot claimed five lives.

Swing-state legislatures – including those controlled by Republicans – approved election law changes that broadened voting by mail long before the election, but Jacobs has repeatedly said he voted not to certify the election results from Pennsylvania and Arizona because their state legislatures did not approve changes in election law, as required by the Constitution. PolitiFact New York has ruled Jacobs' argument "mostly false," saying: "State laws regarding election procedures were in place months, or years, before Election Day."

Jacobs, a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump, said: "I was under no illusion that there was going to be a change in the outcome" of the election by voting against certifying the results from Pennsylvania and Arizona. "It was more to have a discussion on this concern to stand up for election integrity because I think that's very important."