Target's Political Donations to Republicans Backfired
Target over its support for the LGBTQ+ community come despite the company donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republican candidates during the 2022 midterm elections, according to OpenSecrets, an organization that tracks political donations.Target has found itself at the center of conservative outrage over its support for the LGBTQ+ community.
The company, which currently sells merchandise celebrating Pride month including in years past, is now facing boycotts and protests from anti-LGBTQ+ advocates, forcing it to remove some of its Pride merchandise from some of its stores.Many other corporations, including Bud Light and Disney, are facing similar boycotts as conservatives say businesses should not weigh in on hot-button culture war issues such as LGBTQ+ rights.
However, those who support the LGBTQ+ community say these businesses have a right to free speech and that they should not cave into homophobia or transphobia.Despite the now-contentious relationship between Target and conservatives, the company donated substantial funds to help Republicans win elections during last year's midterms.The Federal Election Campaign Act prohibits corporations from making direct donations to political campaigns in connection with federal elections, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
Candidates, however, are allowed to accept donations from corporate-funded political action committees (PAC), though critics allege these donations are oftentimes used by corporations to influence decision-making in Washington, D.C.Target supports federal candidates through the Target Corp PAC, which spent more than $424,000 on political donations last year.Target's PAC donated a total of $249,900 to help Republicans get elected in.
