FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
April 27, 2021
Contact: Sam Inglot, (616) 916-0574, sam@progressmichigan.org
Corporate Donors Continue to Enable Shirkey’s Hoaxes and Anti-Voter Actions
Majority Leader’s PAC bringing in thousands even after numerous despicable comments
MICHIGAN – People across the state were shocked and appalled by comments Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey made in February, when he continued to spread bogus conspiracy theories about our elections and referred to the January 6th insurrection as a “hoax.” Apparently, even those despicable and undemocratic comments weren’t a dealbreaker for his corporate donors, as campaign finance reports show Shirkey brought in $26,500 at a fundraiser he attended—indoors and maskless—shortly after the incident.
Top donors include the Michigan Health and Hospital Association’s PAC at $6,000, the Associated Builders and Contractors, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the Michigan Society of Anesthesiologists, and the Michigan Sugar Company Growers PACs, all at $2,500 each. The donors who continue to bankroll Mike Shirkey despite his repeated use of dangerous, inflammatory, and offensive rhetoric are complicit in his anti-voter efforts and should pull their donations immediately.
“Since Michigan Republicans introduced a package of anti-voter bills, business leaders across the state have been happy to talk about their vague disapproval of voter suppression—but we need them to put their money where their mouths are,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. “As long as these corporations continue to fund Mike Shirkey and other GOP officials who have spread lies and conspiracy theories and worked to undermine our voting rights, they are complicit. It’s time for business leaders to take a stand, stop funding right-wing extremism, and pull their donations from Mike Shirkey and the rest of the Michigan GOP.”
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