MoveOn.org: Boycott Target

Retailer's donation to anti-gay marriage candidate sparks controversy
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 4, 2010 11:14 AM CDT

MoveOn.org has asked its members to boycott Target, in response to a $150,000 donation the retail giant gave to a PAC supporting ultra-conservative Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer. The group tells Reuters it’s already gotten 200,000 members to sign up for the boycott. “Most Americans think corporations shouldn't be meddling in democracy, and Target is the test case for that,” says a group spokeswoman.

Emmer holds a lot of far-right views; he’s tried, for example, to amend the state constitution to say it doesn’t have to follow federal laws, according to Gawker. But it's his virulent opposition to gay marriage that has drawn the most attention, in part because Target has been famously supportive of its gay employees. Analysts say the boycott won’t really affect the retailer—“People outside Minnesota aren’t going to care,” remarked one—and Target is unapologetic, saying it supports candidates “based strictly on issues that affect our retail and business objectives.” (More Tom Emmer stories.)

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