WASHINGTON—Some big-money Republican donors, frustrated by their party’s handling of the standoff over the debt ceiling and government shutdown, are stepping up their warnings to GOP leaders that they risk long-term damage to the party if they fail to pass immigration legislation.
Some donors say they are withholding political contributions from members of Congress who don’t support action on immigration, and many are calling top House leaders. Their hope is that the party can gain ground with Hispanic voters, make needed changes in immigration policy and offset some of the damage that polls show it is taking for the shutdown.
“I’m concerned as an American, first of all. I’m certainly concerned as a Republican,” said Fred Zeidman, a Texas oil executive and fundraiser. “For my party to fight the inevitable, I think, is so incredibly shortsighted.”
