According to an analysis by Reuters, in this election cycle, top US food and grocery chain stores and their suppliers have increased political donations to Democratic lawmakers.
The analysis was based on data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Democrats have reason to be concerned about food prices, as food prices in the US have risen by 25% from 2019 to 2023. A joint poll by Reuters and the Ipsos Group shows that the economy is the top concern for voters.
Kroger, the top-ranked food and grocery retailer in the US by revenue, has so far contributed $141,000 to its political action committee (PAC) for this election cycle, higher than the $140,500 contributed throughout the entire 2021-2022 election cycle.
Albertsons, another food and grocery giant ranking only behind Kroger in terms of business scale, has donated more in this election cycle. Its PAC has donated a total of $291,500 so far, more than doubling the $90,000 donated in the 2021-2022 election cycle.
In the current election cycle, at least 154 Democratic lawmakers or their fundraising organizations have received donations from a few top food companies, including 51 congressional Democratic lawmakers, accounting for one-fifth of them.
According to data from the Federal Election Commission as of June 2024, 65 Democratic federal lawmakers and their associated fundraising committees have received 94 donations from the PACs of Kroger and Albertsons, totaling $185,000.
However, the donations from these two companies pale in comparison to Walmart’s contributions. Walmart’s PAC has already donated at least $441,500 to Democrats in this election cycle.