Trucking contributed $6.3 million to campaigns this cycle, mostly to Republicans

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Updated Nov 14, 2016
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was the top recipient of trucking-based campaign contributions. President-elect Donald Trump was second, though he lagged well behind Mitt Romney’s draw in 2012.Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was the top recipient of trucking-based campaign contributions. President-elect Donald Trump was second, though he lagged well behind Mitt Romney’s draw in 2012.

As an update to the figures published by CCJ last month regarding trucking contributions to the 2016 election cycle, trucking industry political contributors gave $6.32 million to political campaigns this election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Trucking donations heavily favored Republicans, who received 82 percent of the industry’s contributions — $4.89 million. Democrats received $1.03 million from the trucking industry.

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) was the industry’s top recipient, scoring more than $169,000. President-elect Donald Trump was second, drawing $161,703. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton ranked third, receiving $114,256.

As noted in prior CCJ coverage, Trump’s trucking-sourced donations lagged well behind Republican nominee Mitt Romney’s 2012 draw of $1 million from the industry and 2008 nominee John McCain’s $375,000.

The total $6.32 million from trucking contributors in 2016 is $1.5 million less than mid-term election donations ($7.87 million) from the industry in 2014 and $3.5 million less than the 2012 presidential election cycle’s $9.98 million. However, it’s a tad more than the $5.9 million given in the 2008 election cycle.

Below is a list of some of the industry’s top campaign contribution recipients, as well as some of the industry’s top political contributors:

Recipients:

Sen. Ted Cruz: $169,674

Donald Trump: $161,703

Hillary Clinton: $114,256

Rep. Jeff Denham: $111,850

Rep. Bill Shuster: $113,750

Sen. Bernie Sanders: $75,886

Rep. Sam Graves: $71,952

Sen. John Thune: $68,750

Sen. Ron Johnson: $64,873

Sen. Marco Rubio: $63,465

Jeb Bush: $61,470

John Kasich: $60,150

Ben Carson: $56,985

Paul Ryan: $51,265

Contributors:

American Trucking Associations: $621,450

Prime Inc: $270,768

Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association: $256,750

Werner Enterprises: $212,389

CenTra Inc: $186,935

Penske: $185,015

Crete Carrier Corp: $184,570

National Tank Truck Carriers: $175,500

Oshkosh Corp: $169,125

Anderson Trucking Services: $152,150

Old Dominion: $150,132

Schneider National: $116,348

Ruan Companies: $102,850

Paccar Inc: $86,013

Swift Transportation: $81,734