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
