The US Chamber of Commerce is supposed to be a key conservative supporter of immigration reform — their President, Tom Donohue, has repeatedly spoken in favor of reform with a path to citizenship, and the Chamber made headlines last year when it reached a breakthrough accord with the AFL-CIO that helped lead to the Senate immigration bill. But this year, that support hasn’t stopped the chamber from throwing its money behind almost two dozen Republicans who oppose immigration reform, whom if they are elected could make future legislation harder to pass.
Check out more from Buzzfeed’s John Stanton today:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce may want the GOP to change its tune on immigration policy, but that isn’t stopping the powerful business lobby from pouring more than $15 million into efforts to re-elect nearly two dozen Republicans who disagree with them.
In fact, in four Senate races in North Carolina, Georgia, Iowa, and Kentucky that could determine control of the Senate, the Chamber has spent nearly $7.8 million propping up Republicans against providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants…
All told, the Chamber has spent just more than $15 million in 22 House and Senate races across the country, according to data collected by Open Secrets. In addition to marquee races like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s campaign and state Rep. Thom Tillis’ challenge to Sen. Kay Hagan in North Carolina, the Chamber has also backed candidates House races in Arizona, West Virginia, and Alabama.
Spending in support of candidates opposed to their immigration agenda represents more than half of the $28.2 million the Chamber has spent so far on the 2014 elections, according to the data.
The Chamber did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but earlier this year, spokeswoman Blair Latoff Holmes told BuzzFeed News, “The Chamber is not a single issue organization and we aren’t going to agree with members or candidates 100% of the time … Immigration is certainly a top-tier issue for the Chamber but we’re also focused on policies that will create jobs and grow the economy such regulatory reform, trade, and energy development to name a few.”
