Target may pay up; other companies still spooked

Target has entered into negotiations with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) to answer the HRC's call to "Make it Right" and to quell the backlash that stemmed from contributions to MN Forward, a political action committee in Minnesota supporting anti-gay gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer.

"According to sources close to the talks, Target is being urged to match the $150,000 it gave to finance pro-Emmer ads," Politico.com reports. "Gay rights supporters also are pressing for a national charitable donation."

Target was one of the first companies to dive into the murky waters that are corporate partisan political donations, made possible by the Citizens United case, and the negative response from both conservatives and liberals will likely make other companies thoroughly consider any political handouts in the future. Best Buy, another contributor to MN Forward that has largely avoided the bulk of criticism that Target has received, may find the pressure shifting to them as Target tries to make amends.

Politico also reported that polling data released by MoveOn.org shows that most people, including 52% of republicans, disagreed with the ruling in the Citizens United case, and 88% of democrats and 70% of republicans agreed that “Corporate election spending is an attempt to bribe politicians.”

Meanwhile, GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, the candidate benefiting from the contributions that landed Target and Best Buy in this trouble, had an easy win in Minnesota's primary election on Tuesday (Aug. 10).