US Firms Resume Donations to State 527 Groups as Republicans Raise $240 Million
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 24
US Firms Resume Donations to State 527 Groups as Republicans Raise $240 Million
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 24
Summary
More than a dozen US companies that backed a 2021 call to strengthen the Voting Rights Act are still funding state-level 527 groups working against it in the 2026 cycle, according to Center for Political Accountability data.
Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft had cut or paused giving after January 6 but have resumed contributions; Google alone has given $325,000 to the Republican Attorneys General Association this cycle, up from $50,000 in 2022.
Those groups matter because relatively small checks can sway state attorney general, governor and legislative races that shape national policy, including recent Supreme Court cases on abortion and voting rights.
Republican state 527 groups have raised $240 million so far versus $197 million for Democrats, with corporate money supplying 39% of RAGA's fundraising and 33% of the Republican Governors Association's.
Since 2010, public corporations and trade associations have supplied $1 billion of the $2.5 billion raised by major state 527 groups, prompting watchdogs to press boards for tighter oversight and disclosure of political spending.
What drives major corporations to publicly champion civil rights while simultaneously financing organizations that actively oppose those exact same values?