How Leading CEOs are Engaging in Politics
Tracking Campaign Contributions to Candidates, PACs and Parties As companies navigate evolving public and stakeholder expectations around political and policy engagement, CEOs are at the forefront of shaping the approaches of their organizations. Beyond setting institutional policies, CEOs play an individual role via their personal political contributions. As these donations are part of the public […]
Brian Bartlett is a Partner and Piotr Pillardy is a Research Principal at Kekst CNC. This post is based on a Kekst memorandum by Mr. Bartlett, Mr. Pillardy, Ellie Taylor, Bay Dotson, Olivia Kim, and Allie Worchell.
Tracking Campaign Contributions to Candidates, PACs and Parties
As companies navigate evolving public and stakeholder expectations around political and policy engagement, CEOs are at the forefront of shaping the approaches of their organizations. Beyond setting institutional policies, CEOs play an individual role via their personal political contributions. As these donations are part of the public record, they can serve as a de facto communication channel for the company. Consequently, CEO contributions may be seen as reflecting the company’s stance on a political race, particularly in the absence of other overt company messaging.
Understanding CEO political giving trends is key to grasping how Corporate America engages in political and policymaking dynamics. We analyzed the contribution patterns of Fortune 100 CEOs over two electoral cycles (the 2020 and 2022 elections), offering insights that can help inform best practices for executives.
