Does Facebook like Republicans more than Democrats?

   Emily / facebook / FB PAC / fundraising / Influence Explorer / political action committee / sunlight      Posted on May 8, 2012 by Emily

Bucking the trend - or at least the perception - that technology companies are more closely aligned with the Democratic Party than the GOP, Facebook’s Political Action Committee "FB PAC" contributed slightly more to Republican politicians during the 1st quarter of 2012 than to Democrats. According to a recent post by Mashable, Republican members of Congress, including Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel (R-Ky.), were on the receiving end of $65,000 from FB PAC. Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, received slightly less: $53,500.  

So does this mean that Facebook "likes" (ha!) Republicans more than Democrats? Or that they want to see more GOPers elected to the Congress? Probably not. Politics is a game of influence and Facebook, like any good company, is keeping a close eye on its own bottom line. Facebook also gave to several leading members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, which oversee the U.S. court system. This may reveal some of Facebook’s political strategy, as it routinely finds itself either on attack or defense in the courtroom.

Curious about how other corporations (and individuals) spend their money and exert their political influence? Check out http://influenceexplorer.com from our friends at the Sunlight Foundation. You can also sort by politicians to see who their top donors are. Is always fascinating to see where and whose money talks loudest.