Updated October 26, 2010
The 2010 mid-term elections will go down in history as the first elections that were fought and won by unbridled corporate political contributions. Although the Citizens United Act makes it easier for cororations to hide their political donations, organizations such as OpenSecrets.org still investigate and publish known corporate political spending.
What follows is the list of companies with significant retail operations in the U.S. that are ranked in the top 100 corporate contributors to political campaigns in 2010, according to OpenSecrets.org. The number in the left column indicates the ranking that the company received, out of 100 U.S. companies that donated the most money to 2010 U.S. political campaigns. Also indicated for each retail political donor is the dollar amount contributed, as well as the political party that was supported by the contributions.
U.S. Retail Industry Companies on the 2010 Top 100 Corporate Political Donors List:
#2 - AT&T Inc.
$3,329,884
47% Democrat - 52% Republican
#32 - Microsoft
$1,705,539
59% Democrat - 41% Republican
#40 - National Auto Dealers Association
$1,560,150
50% Democrat - 49% Reputlican
#44 - Verizon Communications
$1,504,732
55% Democrat - 43% Reputlican
#52 - Wal-Mart
$1,323,193
48% Democrat - 51% Republican
#72 - Home Depot
$1,083,165
30% Democrat - 70% Republican
More About the Retail Industry and Politics:
