A number of publications have taken note of Wal-Mart’s increased lobbying staff and political campaign finance activity. Last week, Warwick Sabin wrote of the retailer’s opening of a lobbying office in Little Rock for state government.
Here’s a blogger that has posted an extensive Business Week report on Wal-Mart’s state-by-state political activities. The Arkansas angle:
Arkansas
Total contributions: $109,756
The Arkansas Republican Party this election year received $10,000 from Wal-Mart. Republican Governor Mike Huckabee, who has received campaign funds from members of the Walton family, recently called Wal-Mart’s critics a “traveling circus.” When contacted, Huckabee responded: “The contributions I have received from the Walton family have nothing to do with my speaking up in support of Wal-Mart. The company employs thousands of people in Arkansas alone, they contribute billions of dollars a year to our state’s economy, and they are a tremendous corporate citizen.”
Meanwhile, the Washington Post politics blog suggests The Huckster has been falling short of other Republican in lining up “whales,” the super wealthy Republican contributors who are critical in supply the mother’s milk of politics.