Trump, the top recipient of the trucking industry’s more than $3.5 million in contributions so far, has received $146,331 from trucking-backed donations. Sen. Bernie Sanders, vying for the Democratic nomination for president, is second on the list, having received $109,012 from trucking contributors.With the dust settled on Super Tuesday, named for the electoral weight the day carriers in the primary process, the presidential race this fall appears to be shaping up to be a contest between incumbent President Donald Trump and either Joe Biden, former vice president under President Barack Obama, or Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
If campaign donations are any indication, Trump appears to be the favorite among trucking industry contributors. Likewise, trucking contributions so far again heavily back Republicans.
To date in the 2020 election cycle, trucking industry contributions favor Republicans by nearly a four-to-one margin, with 79% of contributions going to Republican candidates and 21% going to Democrats, according to data compiled by the Center For Responsive Politics and based on publicly available contribution data from the Federal Election Commission.
Trump, the top recipient of the trucking industry’s more than $3.5 million in contributions so far, has received $146,331 from trucking-backed donations. Sanders is second on the list, having received $109,012 from trucking contributors.
Republicans at large have received $2.7 million in donations from trucking interests, while Democratic candidates have received $728,311.
The figures mirror statistics from election cycles dating back to 1996, with trucking donations to Republicans heavily outweighing those to Democrats.
Other than Trump and Sanders, top recipients include: Jeff Coleman, a Republican running for a House seat in Alabama, who’s received $61,900; Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon), who’s received $54,750; Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who’s received $43,495; and Rep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri), who’s received $37,000.
Other presidential contenders who’ve received campaign contributions so far include Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who’s received $26,649 from trucking-backed interests; Democrat Andrew Yang, who’s received $25,563; and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J), who’s received $22,692.
Top contributors include the American Trucking Associations ($320,126), Centra, Inc. ($263,636), Paccar, Inc. ($161,374), Davison Transport ($140,714), Dart Transit ($132,303), Schneider National ($123,725) and the National Tank Truck Carriers ($121,525).
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has donated $74,000 to political campaigns. Werner Enterprises has contributed $106,221. Crete Carrier Corporation has given $90,906. Knight-Swift has donated $56,969.
