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Wal-Mart execs lean toward Clinton in campaign donations Sunday, Mar 2, 2008 By Aaron Sadler Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - Officers and directors of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., have given more money to presidential candidates in this race than in the previous two election cycles combined, an increase that appears linked to the White House run of a former board member.<br/><br/>Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., is the favored recipient of campaign money from executives of the Bentonville-based retail giant, according to Federal Election Commission filings.<br/><br/>More than a third of the at least $33,700 donated by Wal-Mart officers and directors for the presidential race has been given to Clinton. <br/><br/>The former first lady served on Wal-Mart's board of directors from 1986 to 1992 while she was first lady of Arkansas. <br/><br/>Her haul of $12,200 so far from Wal-Mart executives tops that of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who received $7,150 before he dropped out of the presidential race in January. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has picked up $7,050 from leaders of the world's biggest retail chain.<br/><br/>Current Wal-Mart officers and directors have opened their wallets for candidates much more frequently this year than in 2000 and 2004, where FEC records show they gave a combined $26,250.<br/><br/>That Clinton would gain money from familiar faces is not a surprise to campaign money watchers, who said individual donations are not as driven by ideology as corporate or political action committee funding.<br/><br/>"I think you see that hometown favorite kind of thing," said Rick Hasen, a professor at Loyola University law school in Los Angeles. "You give to people you know or people who know people you know. That's really not a surprise."<br/><br/>For Clinton, the contributions come just months after she turned away $5,000 that Wal-Mart had donated through its PAC to her Senate campaign. At the time, in February 2006, Clinton's spokeswoman said the senator rejected the money because of "serious differences with current company practices."<br/><br/>Labor groups routinely criticize the retailer's treatment of workers and its business practices.<br/><br/>But Clinton has taken $3,000 from Aida Alvarez, a Wal-Mart director who served as director of the Small Business Administration under President Clinton.<br/><br/>Other Clinton contributors include: Leslie Dach, who heads the company's Washington office; Tom Mars, Wal-Mart's general counsel and a former colleague of Clinton's at the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock; Thomas Hyde, an executive vice president; and board member Christopher Williams. All four gave the maximum $2,300 per individual per election allowed by federal law.<br/><br/>Hasen said the $2,300 cap ($4,600 for both primary and general elections) prevents individuals from wielding much influence through their pocketbooks alone.<br/><br/>A trend among business leaders is "bundling," where individuals encourage others to donate to their favored candidate, he said.<br/><br/>"That's the way business executives and others with wealthy friends work, they become bundlers," Hasen said. "I've heard many a story of business people twisting the arms of their lawyers or their clients or their underlings to try to get some more of these contributions to bundle across."<br/><br/>A cursory glance of FEC filings shows no clear evidence of bundling by Wal-Mart leaders.<br/><br/>However, several spouses of Wal-Mart executives have also donated. Hyde's wife, Vina, gave $2,300 to Clinton on the same day her husband did. Director Allen Questrom and his wife, Kelli, donated $2,300 apiece to Giuliani on Feb. 12, 2007.<br/><br/>Last April, Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott and board member Jim Walton hosted a fundraising reception for Huckabee, a staunch Wal-Mart defender during his decade as Arkansas governor.<br/><br/>FEC records show Scott gave $2,300 to Huckabee on April 25, 2007, the day after the fundraiser in Rogers. That is Scott's only contribution to a presidential campaign so far this election cycle.<br/><br/>Jim Walton, who heads Arvest Bank, gave $2,300 to Huckabee, as did his wife, Lynne. The Waltons also donated $2,300 each to Giuliani last September.<br/><br/>Walton would not talk about his contributions. A woman who identified herself only as "the person who screens his calls" at his Bentonville office said Walton was "not really interested in talking" to a reporter.<br/><br/>Wal-Mart has no personnel policy regarding campaign contributions, a company spokeswoman said.<br/><br/>Other Huckabee contributors included Thomas Hyde and Vice Chairman Michael Duke - both gave $1,000 each - and William Simon, chief operating officer, who donated $450.<br/><br/>"It's not uncommon to find in the presidential race that the candidates who do well raising money tend to do best raising money from their home state," said Anthony Corrado, a campaign finance expert and fellow at the Brookings Institution. "Those are the people that know them best."<br/><br/>Corrado said he would expect to see more Wal-Mart executives donate to presidential candidates once the party nominees are clear.<br/><br/>By Jan. 31, no director or officer had given to Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee.<br/><br/>Sen. Barack Obama, who leads Clinton in the Democratic delegate race, had picked up $3,300. Williams has given $2,300 to Obama. Linda Wolf, a director from Obama's hometown of Chicago, has donated $1,000.<br/><br/>"It's often the case that among some of these donors, you see them waiting to see the candidate that's going to emerge and provide all the support they can in the fall campaign," Corrado said.<br/><br/>Wal-Mart Chairman Robson Walton has not donated to a presidential campaign.<br/><br/>Filings show last year he gave $400 to Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., and $5,000 to the leadership PAC operated by Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers.<br/><br/><br/><br/>Here is a list of Wal-Mart officers and directors who have given to presidential campaigns or Arkansas congressional races this election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission filings:<br/><br/><br/><br/>Officers<br/><br/><br/><br/>Leslie Dach: Hillary Clinton, $2,300<br/><br/>Michael Duke: Mike Huckabee, $1,000<br/><br/>John Fleming: Mitt Romney, $1,000<br/><br/>Thomas Hyde: Hillary Clinton, $2,300; Mike Huckabee, $1,000; Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., $2,300*<br/><br/>Thomas Mars: Hillary Clinton, $2,300<br/><br/>Lee Scott: Mike Huckabee, $1,000<br/><br/>William Simon: Mike Huckabee, $450; Fred Thompson, $500; Mitt Romney, $500; Rudy Giuliani, $500<br/><br/>Robson Walton: Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., $400*; Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, $5,000*<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>Directors<br/><br/><br/><br/>Aida Alvarez: Hillary Clinton $3,000<br/><br/>David Glass: Sam Brownback, $2,000<br/><br/>Allen Questrom: Rudy Giuliani, $2,300<br/><br/>Jim Walton: Mike Huckabee, $2,300; Rudy Giuliani, $2,300; Sen. Blanche Lincoln, $400*; Rep. John Boozman, $5,000*<br/><br/>Christopher Williams: Hillary Clinton, $2,300; Barack Obama, $2,300; Rudy Giuliani, $2,300<br/><br/>Linda Wolf: Barack Obama, $1,000<br/><br/><br/><br/>* -- denotes contribution to congressional campaign or PAC<br/><br/><br/><br/> |
