Weekly Wal-Mart shoppers are midterms’ NASCAR dads

Maybe we should call it W-mart to keep Democrats out?

Full story: http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Campaign/062006_walmart.html

Weekly Wal-Mart shoppers are midterms’ NASCAR dads
By Aaron Blake

In 2004, it was NASCAR dads. Before that, soccer moms.

In the upcoming elections, pollster John Zogby says, the parties need look no further than the biggest retail phenomenon in the world — Wal-Mart — for this year’s elusive group of swing voters.

Zogby said he has found a direct correlation between how often Wal-Mart customers shop there and how reliably conservative they are. While this group voted overwhelmingly Republican in 2004, it is less entrenched than other conservative groups, and Zogby’s numbers indicate it is wavering.

“Wal-Mart is so much more than retail,” Zogby said. “It’s a religion out there.”

According to a study by Scarborough Research, Wal-Mart shoppers are, on the whole, evenly divided between Republican and Democrat. Of those who had shopped at Wal-Mart in the past three months — three-fourths of the sample — 32 percent identified themselves as Republicans and 29 percent as Democrats.


Snip

Wal-Mart’s contributions to national political candidates have increased steadily in recent years, and Republicans are on the receiving end of most of the giving. In the 2004 election cycle, Wal-Mart’s PAC gave more than $1.3 million to Republicans and $370,000 to Democrats. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) received the most, with $17,500, and dozens got $10,000 or more.

Its PAC and employees gave more than $2 million overall to federal candidates and parties, making it the second-biggest miscellaneous business benefactor, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. This cycle it ranks fifth, with more than a half-million dollars in contributions.

Lee Culpepper, Wal-Mart’s lead lobbyist in Washington, said Republicans’ more favorable attitude toward business and the fact that there are simply more of them in Congress have made them more attractive for PAC contributions.

“When you put those two factors together, it’s understandable why you’d have more support for Republicans than Democrats,” Culpepper said.

But he said that’s changing as the PAC grows. The split is now 71-29 percent in favor of Republicans, down from 93-7 during the 1998 cycle, when it gave just $135,000.

“Our PAC … has been increasing support to Democratic candidates who support business,” he said.

Do they have a list of these Democratic office-holders they've been writing $10,000 checks to???

Just returned from Wal mart. 2 weeks I bought the Dixie Chicks new album there (haven't listened to it yet). Today I didn't see it anywhere. The slots weren't empty where it had been.

Pearl River County chiming in here. Break that CD out; you will thoroughly enjoy it. The Chicks done good (again.)

and I vote for every democrat in every election and belittle "conservatives" at every opportunity.

our last record store in town just closed, amd this is a college town!

My logic says this:

Many people who rarely or never shopped at WM might be now, because the high gas prices are forcing them to save every penny they can.

Lots of upper middle class people have turned on WM building a store in THEIR neighborhood! That doesn't necessarily mean they will change their party affiliation, but it takes away the "prop" WM might have been for the Pubs, in their mind.

WM's same store sales have been lower this year than they ever have been in the past, because the high gas prices have eliminated all the disposable income their shoppers had! WM Superstores don't make their $$ on groceries, they make it on clothes, and all the other junk they sell.

I'm not worried about the impact of WM on the upcoming elections. Much more will be decided on how people view their own lives, and how good, bad, or scared they are!