House Bill 2 sponsor, Senate leader use PayPal for campaign donations

Donors looking to support the Republican state Senate leader or the sponsor of North Carolina’s new LGBT law are asked to send online contributions through PayPal – the company that announced Tuesday that it’s canceling a Charlotte expansion because of the new law.

The campaigns of Senate leader Phil Berger and Rep. Dan Bishop, the Charlotte Republican who sponsored House Bill 2, both use PayPal to process campaign contributions.

Bishop is running for the state Senate seat currently occupied by Sen. Bob Rucho, who isn’t seeking re-election.

Bishop did not respond to questions Tuesday about whether he plans to continue using PayPal or switch to another service. Berger’s campaign could not be reached.

According to campaign finance records, Berger has spent $1,687 so far this election cycle on PayPal’s services. Bishop has spent $705 with the company.

Other Republicans involved in House Bill 2 – including House Speaker Tim Moore, Gov. Pat McCrory and Sen. Buck Newton – use other vendors to process campaign contributions, records show.

Several supporters of House Bill 2 said they won’t do business with PayPal anymore.

“Dear PayPal: I am closing my account with your company due to your desire to discriminate against women and children,” Rep. Michael Speciale, a New Bern Republican, posted on Facebook Tuesday. “You are an embarrassment to the business community, and I hope you lose enough business to cause you to realize your bigoted stance.”

This story was originally published April 5, 2016 at 5:58 PM with the headline "House Bill 2 sponsor, Senate leader use PayPal for campaign donations."