Despite Delta Air Lines lambasting Georgia’s recent legislation to restore election integrity as racist, and President Donald Trump then calling for a boycott of the Georgia-based airline, the company’s associated PAC gave a total of $466,000 to 94 candidates the 45th President endorsed for election or reelection in 2020.
President Trump has repeatedly called for boycotts of Delta Air Lines after the company’s CEO criticized Georgia’s legislation aimed at restoring election integrity in the state. However, Delta apparently had no problem giving nearly half a million dollars to Republicans who President Trump endorsed in 2020. Likewise, President Trump apparently had no problem endorsing 94 candidates who received money from Delta Air Lines PAC.
Perhaps most shockingly on the list are defeated Georgia incumbents Sens. David Perdue, who received the most of any candidate given money by Delta, $15,000, and Kelly Loeffler, also of Georgia, who received $10,000. Both Perdue and Loeffler were endorsed by President Trump, and both candidates lost their races during the runoff election held in January of 2021.
In the House, the Trump-endorsed candidates who received the most money from Delta Air Lines PAC were Reps. Liz Cheney, John Bergman, Rodney Davis, Mario Diaz-Balart, Tom Emmer, Drew Ferguson, Sam Graves, Jody Hice, Bill Huizenga, John Katko, Barry Loudermilk, Patrick McHenry, John Moolenaar, Steve Scalise, Pete Stauber, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. All of these then-candidates received $10,000 from Delta Air Lines PAC.
The other Trump-endorsed candidates who received money from Delta Air Lines PAC were:
Kevin Brady / $7,500; Mike Rogers / $7,500; Richard Hudson / $6,500; Rick Crawford / $5,000; Tom Graves / $5,000; Jim Hagedorn / $5,000; French Hill / $5,000; David Joyce / $5,000; Cathy McMorries Rodgers / $5,000; David Rouzer / $5,000; Lloyd Smucker / $5,000; Elise Stefanik / $5,000; Chris Stewart / $5,000; Bruce Westerman / $5,000; Lee Zeldin / $5,000; Debbie Lesko / $3,500; Ann Wagner / $3,500; Mike Kelly / $3,000; Jodey Arrington / $2,500; Michelle Fischbach / $2,500; Brian Fitzpatrick / $2,500; Mike Gallagher / $2,500; George Holding / $2,500; John Joyce / $2,500; Adam Kinzinger / $2,500; Bob Latta / $2,500; Brian Mast / $2,500; Dan Meuser / $2,500; Paul Mitchell / $2,500; Dan Newhouse / $2,500; Greg Pence / $2,500; Scott Perry / $2,500; Tom Reed / $2,500; Steve Womack / $2,500; Don Young / $2,500; Dan Crenshaw / $2,000; Warren Davidson / $2,000; Sean Duffy / $2,000; Chuck Fleischmann / $2,000; Alex Mooney / $2,000; Denver Riggleman* Rescinded / $2,000; Steve Stivers / $2,000; Jason Smith / $1,500; Robert Aderholt / $1,000; Kelly Armstrong / $1,000; James Comer / $1,000; Michael Guest / $1,000; Kevin Hern / $1,000; Carol Miller / $1,000; Adrian Smith / $1,000; Bryan Steil / $1,000; Greg Steube / $1,000; Glenn Thompson / $1,000; Daniel Webster / $1,000
In the Senate, the Trump-endorsed candidates who received the most money were then-Sens. David Perdue, who as previously mentioned received the most of any Delta-endorsed candidate, $15,000, and Kelly Loeffler, who received $10,000, as well as Sens. Jim Risch, and Thom Tillis, who both also received $10,000.
The other Trump-endorsed candidates who received money from Delta Air Lines PAC in the Senate were:
John Cornyn / $7,500; Steve Daines / $7,500; Lindsey Graham / $7,500; Bill Hagerty / $7,500; Jim Inhofe / $7,500; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell / $7,500; Dan Sullivan / $7,500; Martha McSally / $6,000; Shelley Moore Capito / $5,000; Bill Cassidy / $5,000; Tom Cotton / $5,000; Cory Gardner / $5,000; Cynthia Lummis / $5,000; Joni Ernst / $2,500; John Kennedy / $2,500; Marco Rubio / $2,500; Tim Scott / $2,500; John Thune / $2,500; Ron Johnson / $1,500; Rob Portman / $1,500
It is worth noting that many of these Republicans went silent regarding President Trump after he questioned the integrity of the 2020 election, and some disavowed him entirely after the mostly peaceful Capitol Hill protests on January 6. Some, like Cheney, Kinzinger and Diaz-Balart, have become vocal opponents of President Trump who now insist he has no place in the Republican Party.
In total, Delta Air Lines PAC spent $1,081,000 during the 2020 race, favoring Republicans by a margin of nearly 20%. Democrats only received $432,500 compared to Republicans, who received $648,500. Of the Republicans who received money, $466,000 went to candidates endorsed by President Trump.
National File contacted both the Office of the Former President to ask whether President Trump would call for Republicans to stop accepting donations from Delta Air Lines PAC, and Delta Air Lines to determine if they would stop donating to Trump-endorsed Republicans. We did not receive a comment from either party in time for publication.
