At least $93.4 million has been donated to candidates and political action committees in 2015 and 2016 by people, companies and groups in the agribusiness sector, says DTN in a perusal of campaign records compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. The largest donor, at $15.2 million, was poultry processor Mountaire Farms and its chairman, Ronald Cameron.
“The bulk of Cameron’s donations went to two failed presidential bids,” said DTN. Cameron was the single largest donor, at a total of $8 million, to PACs supporting Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, also a Republican. He also gave $2 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, which supports a Republican majority in the U.S. House, said DTN.
Although agribusiness donors favored Republicans, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was the largest recipient of contributions, $1.8 million, with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz second with $1.3 million and Republican nominee Donald Trump with $1.1 million, said DTN. The GOP has been the leading recipient of agribusiness donations since the 1994 election cycle.