INSTITUTE INDEX: Fortune 250 firms bankroll anti-abortion politics in the South
In the 13 states where abortion is banned, most of them in the South, 25 Fortune 250 firms make up more than two-thirds of total company spending on anti-abortion candidates. Eight of these companies spent more than $500,000 each. (Graphic from the Sustainable Investments Institute.)
(All of the numbers in this index are from "Divided States of America: Heavily Tilted Company Support for State Abortion Ban Politicians," published by the Sustainable Investments Institute on Oct. 17, 2022.)
Of the more than $515 million that Fortune 250 companies and their political action committees have spent on U.S. politics in the last two election cycles, percent that went toward candidates, committees, and parties that favor restricting abortion: 57
Rank of the South among U.S. regions where Fortune 250 companies spent the most on anti-abortion politics: 1
Over the past two election cycles, total amount these companies spent in Southern states, 10 of which now ban abortion: more than $37 million
Percent of the companies' spending in Southern states that went to politicians opposed to abortion rights: 70
Rank of AT&T among the top Fortune 250 donors to the South's anti-abortion politicians: 1
Rank of UnitedHealth Group: 2
Amount UnitedHealth Group donated to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who earlier this year enthusiastically signed into law a 15-week abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest: at least $325,000
Number of Fortune 250 companies that have contributed to five state attorneys general who've played key roles in anti-abortion efforts: 51
Rank of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) — an abortion foe who urged the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade — among the AGs who received the most from these companies: 1
Of the $345,000 that Fortune 250 companies have donated to Miyares, amount that came just from the Richmond-based utility giant Dominion Energy: $300,000
Amount that 17 Fortune 250 companies including Dominion, DTE Energy, and Marathon Petroleum have contributed to West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R), who recently argued for reinstatement of an 1870 state law criminalizing most abortions: $48,000
Amount pharmaceutical giant Pfizer contributed to Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry (R), an abortion foe who earlier this year tried to convince the Louisiana State Bond Commission to withhold funding for a power station that charges flood drainage pumps in New Orleans because the city decriminalized abortion following the state's near-total ban: $10,000
In the 13 states nationwide where abortion is now banned, total number of Fortune 250 companies that contributed to state lawmakers who support the restrictions: 125
Number of Fortune 250 companies that each spent at least $500,000 on politics in those 13 states: 8*
* Altria Group, American Electric Power, AT&T, Berkshire Hathaway, Charter Communications, Comcast, Union Pacific, and UnitedHealth Group.
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Makaelah Walters
Makaelah is the 2022 Julian Bond Fellow. She previously worked as a reporter for the Watauga Democrat and interned as an editorial assistant for the nonprofit advocacy group Appalachian Voices.