Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell issued a strong warning to GOP senators in a private meeting, urging them not to support a bill introduced by Senator Josh Hawley. The bill aims to restrict corporate funding for influential outside groups. McConnell reminded his colleagues that many of them owe their seats to the powerful super PAC controlled by him.
During the Tuesday lunch meeting, multiple sources revealed that McConnell cautioned Republican senators about potential backlash from the “center-right” if they endorsed Hawley’s bill. He even read out a list of senators who won their races with significant financial support from the Senate Leadership Fund, an outside group affiliated with McConnell that invests heavily in TV ads for fiercely contested Senate races. Interestingly, Hawley himself was included on that list.
McConnell has long been an ardent opponent of stricter campaign finance regulations. However, there is a longstanding rift between McConnell and Hawley, who has been a vocal critic of the GOP leader and has repeatedly called for new leadership within their conference. Just recently, Hawley criticized McConnell for aligning with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, to link Ukraine aid with an Israel funding package.
Hawley’s new bill, the Ending Corporate Influence on Elections Act, seeks to overturn the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which relaxed campaign finance laws. In this effort, the conservative Republican from Missouri finds himself aligned with many Democrats. The bill proposes banning publicly traded corporations from making independent expenditures and political advertisements, as well as prohibiting them from donating to super PACs.
In an interview, Hawley defended his bill, asserting that corporate influence in elections should be curtailed. He argued that it distorts politics, goes against the original intent of the Constitution, and is detrimental to the electoral process and voters. Hawley expressed his belief that conservatives should not defend such practices on principle.
According to a list obtained by CNN, McConnell specifically mentioned several lawmakers who have benefited from his outside group’s support in the past three election cycles. These include Mike Braun of Indiana, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Susan Collins of Maine, Steve Daines of Montana, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Katie Britt of Alabama, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Eric Schmitt of Missouri, Ted Budd of North Carolina, JD Vance of Ohio, and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.
In 2018 alone, Hawley received over $20 million in support from McConnell’s group. McConnell’s office declined to comment on the matter.
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