Over the past few election cycles, we have come to see more clearly how corporate donors influence legislators, and just how many political candidates accept corporate donations.
Candidates who accept donations from corporations are expected to do their bidding in a variety of ways. These include:
- By creating or supporting legislation that further empowers the corporations/industries
- By not developing or supporting legislation that will decrease the corporation’s power
- Or by merely “lip service” voting for legislation – such as universal healthcare – knowing it will die in the senate or next committee.
Here’s a rundown of who’s funding the democratic candidates’ campaigns for the state legislature races in LD 22 (Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater) as of July 8, 2024. The first round of voting occurs on the August 6th primary. From there, the top two finishers of each race advance to the November 5th general election.
Race: State Senate
Jessica Bateman
Total Raised: $101,079
From
- Individual: $30,171
- Union: $14,404
- Business: $15,300
- Political Action Committees (PAC): $29,100
- Self: $0
- Misc.: $12,103
Notable Corporate, Lobbying, and PAC Donors, 2020 – 2024:
- Amazon (Provides cloud services to Israel’s leading state-owned weapons manufacturers via a joint contract with Google known as Project Nimbus. 2023 Revenue: $574.8 billion)
- Bristol Myers Squibb (One of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. Currently the subject, along with Johns Hopkins University and the Rockefeller Foundation, of a $1 billion lawsuit from Guatemala for “roles in a 1940s U.S. government experiment that infected hundreds of Guatemalans with syphilis.” Headquarters: Princeton, NJ. 2022 Revenue: $46.2 billion.)
- Bryan Enslow (Principal at Arbutus Consulting lobbying firm)
- Bryce Yadon Consulting (Lobbying Firm)
- Centene Management Company LLC (Headquarters: St Louis, MO. 2023 Revenue: $154 billion.)
- Cigna (For-profit multinational managed healthcare and insurance company. Headquarters: Bloomfield, CT. Revenue $195.3 billion.)
- DaVita (For-profit healthcare company owned by Berkshire Hathaway. 2021 Revenue: $11.62 billion)
- Debora Munguia (Lobbyist)
- Eli Lilly (Multinational pharmaceutical company. Headquarters: Indianapolis, IN. In October 2023 donated $500,000 to Israeli organizations. 2023 Revenue: $34.12 billion)
- Fresenius Medical Care (European multinational for-profit health care company. 2021 Revenue: €37.250 billion)
- Genentech (Owned by Swiss multinational holding healthcare company Roche. 2023 Revenue: $70 billion.)
- Gilead Sciences, Inc (Biopharmaceutical company. Headquarters: Foster City, CA. 2023 Revenue $27.1 billion.)
- Goodman Real Estate Inc
- Hospitals for A Healthy Future PAC (WA State Hospitals Association)
- Jennifer Zeigler (Lobbyist)
- Molina Healthcare Inc (Health insurance company. Headquarters: Long Beach, CA. 2023 Revenue: $32.5 billion.)
- PACWA Charters PAC (WA Charter Schools Assn)
- Partners for Affordable Healthcare PAC
- Pfizer (In 2022 CEO Albert Bourla received the $1 million Genesis Prize, which was founded in 2012 with a $100 million endowment from five Russian philanthropists and is co-administered by the Israeli Prime Minister’s office. Bourla published a statement of support for Israel in October 2023. Headquarters: New York City. 2023 Revenue: $58.5 billion.)
- Phillips Burgess Government Relations
- Premera Blue Cross
- Puget Sound Energy (Headquarters: Bellevue, WA. 2023 Revenue: $4.8 billion)
- Regence Health Insurance
- Robert Pantley (CEO of housing development company Natural and Built Environments)
- Southport Financial Services (Multi-family housing developer. Headquarters: Tampa, FL.)
- UnitedHealth Group Inc (Headquarters: Minnetonka, MN. 2023 Revenue: $371.6 billion.)
- USAA (Headquarters San Antonio, TX. 2023 Revenue: $42.5 billion)
- WA Assn of Realtors PAC
- WA Mortgage Bankers Assn PAC
- WA Rental Owners Assn PAC
- WA State Bldg & Const Trades Council
- Washington State Pharmacy PAC
- Whitney Bowerman (Rental housing owner)
- Zillow Group Inc PAC (American tech real-estate marketplace company. 2023 Revenue: $1.9 billion.)
Elected Official (current or former) Donors 2024:
- Jim Cooper
- Laurie Dolan
- Denny Heck
- Sam Hunt
- Lisa Parshley
Tela Hogle
Total Raised: $4,479
From
- Individual: $2,745 (61%)
- Union: $0
- Business: $0
- Political Action Committees (PAC): $0
- Self: $49 (1%)
- Other: $1,685 (38%)
Notable Corporate, Lobbying, and PAC Donors: None
Elected Official (current or former) Donors 2024: None
Bob Iyall
Total Raised: $15,824
From
- Individual: $9,728
- Union: $0
- Business: $0
- Political Action Committees (PAC): $600
- Self: $601
- Other: $4,895
Notable Corporate, Lobbying, and PAC Donors:
- Evergreen Olympic Properties Inc
- WA Forest Protection PAC (Lobbying association for logging companies.)
Elected Official (current or former) Donors 2024:
- J.T. Wilcox
Race: State Representative, Position 1
Beth Doglio (Uncontested)
Total Raised: $57,741
From
- Individual: $9,925
- Union: $6,550
- Business: $9,350
- Political Action Committees (PAC): $23,000
- Self: $0
- Other: $8,916
Notable Corporate, Lobbying, and PAC Donors, 2016 – present:
- Amazon (Provides cloud services to Israel’s leading state-owned weapons manufacturers via a joint contract with Google known as Project Nimbus. 2023 Revenue: $574.8 billion)
- American Income Life Insurance PAC (Owned by Globe Life. Headquarters: McKinney, TX. 2022 Revenue: $5.2 billion.)
- AMR HoldCo, Inc (Owned by KKR hedge fund managers. Headquarters: New York City, NY. 2023 Revenue: $14.5 billion)
- Arbaugh & Associates Inc (Lobbying firm)
- AT&T (Headquarters: Dallas, TX. 2023 Revenue: $122.4 billion.)
- Avista Corp (Energy company. Headquarters: Spokane, WA. 2023 Revenue: $1.75 billion)
- British Petroleum (BP) North America Employee PAC (Headquarters: Houston, TX)
- CenturyLink PAC (Managed by multinational telecommunications company Lumen Technologies. Headquarters: Monroe, LA. 2023 Revenue: $14.6 billion.)
- Council of Police (The largest, oldest, and most influential organization representing law enforcement professionals in Washington State.)
- DaVita (Owned by Berkshire Hathaway. Headquarters: Denver, CO. 2021 Revenue: $11.62 billion)
- DoorDash Inc (Largest food delivery company in the U.S. with a 56% market share. Headquarters: San Francisco, CA. 2023 Revenue: $8.64 billion.)
- Gilead Sciences, Inc (Biopharmaceutical company. Headquarters: Foster City, CA. 2023 Revenue $27.1 billion.)
- Fresenius Medical Care (European multinational for-profit health care company. 2021 Revenue: €37.250 billion)
- K&L Gates Continue PAC (Corporate lawyers and law firms. So far, 2024 donations are split 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans.)
- Kaiser Aluminum (Headquarters: Franklin, TN. 2023 Revenue: $3.1 billion.)
- Kroger Co. (Headquarters: Cincinnati, OH. 2023 Revenue: $150 billion.)
- LKQ Corporation (Headquarters: Antioch, TN. 2023 Revenue: $13.8 million. Owned by private hedge fund ValueAct Capital, $10 billion in assets.
- McBride Public Affairs (Lobbyist)
- Microsoft (Offered to match employee donations to Israeli organizations, including the nonprofit Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, in October 2023. Operates development centers in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Nazareth with most employees working on cybersecurity, AI technologies, and big data and healthcare projects. Headquarters: Redmond, WA. 2023 Revenue: $211.9 billion)
- NextEra Energy Resources LLC (Headquarters: Juno Beach, FL. 2023 Revenue: $2.8 billion)
- Nucor PAC (Largest steel producer in the US. Headquarters: Charlotte, NC. Disproportionately supports Republicans. 2023 Revenue: $34.7 billion.)
- NW Grocery Association WA PAC
- PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company (Headquarters: Seattle, WA. 2023 Revenue: $20.96 million)
- Puget Sound Energy (Headquarters: Bellevue, WA. 2023 Revenue: $4.8 billion)
- T-Mobile U.S. Inc (Headquarters: Bellevue, WA. 2023 Revenue: $78.6 billion)
- Washington Beverage Association PAC
- WA Charters PAC (WA Charter Schools Assn)
- WA Forest Protection PAC (Lobbying association for logging companies.)
- Washington Hospitality Association PAC
- Washington Refuse and Recycling Assn PAC
- WA State Building & Construction Trades Council PAC
- Weyerhaeuser (Headquarters: Seattle, WA. 2023 Revenue: $7.7 billion)
Elected Official (current or former) Donors 2024: None
Race: State Representative, Position 2
Syd Locke
Total Raised: $23,151*
From
- Individual: $13,291
- Union: $0
- Business: $500
- Political Action Committees (PAC): $0
- Self: $4,500
- Other: $4,910
*Reflects total funds raised for WA State Senate race (initial filing), and the WA State House Race (final filing).
Notable Corporate and PAC Donors: None
Elected Official (current or former) Donors 2024: None
Lisa Parshley
Total Raised: $40,517
From
- Individual: $20,767
- Union: $4,550
- Business: $0
- Political Action Committees (PAC): $4,100
- Self: $0
- Other: $9,698
- Misc.: $1,401
Notable Corporate and PAC Donors:
- Capitol Consulting (Lobbyist)
- Whitney Bowerman (Rental housing owner)
Elected Official (current or former) Donors 2024:
- Jessica Bateman
- Jim Cooper
- Laurie Dolan
- Denny Heck
- Sam Hunt
- Tye Menser
- Dontae Payne
Eleanor Steinhagen is a mother, worker, and 20-year resident of Olympia
Be First to Comment