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The political action committee system, PAC, has existed in the United States for more than 75 years. Among other things, companies raise money to, for example, support a campaign for or against a candidate for Congress. These are voluntary contributions, an employee can donate a maximum of $ 5,000 per year and must be a US citizen.
It’s Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm, he alone accounts for a quarter of the more than $ 40,000, 325,000 kroner at current exchange rates, donated by Ericsson Inc. US PAC employees over the past two years. The United States is by far Ericsson’s most important market.
The Committee supports both Democrats and Republican Senate candidates, where 35 out of 100 members will be replaced this year. They act in the same way with the House of Representatives, where the 435 will be elected. The most famous is probably its president, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who received a thousand dollars last winter.
But Ericsson’s action committee has also donated money, among others, to the “New Democrats Coalition Action Fund” and an organization for the wireless industry in the United States.
DN has used a Federal Election Commission database to see how employees of Swedish companies are involved in US election campaigns.
Swedish-British Astra Zeneca plays in its own division, which has a third of its turnover in the US and is listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Its American employees have donated just over $ 515,000 in the past two years through its PAC. Here’s “Eye of the tiger,” a committee that supports Republican candidates, but also “New Democratic Coalition Fund” and “Courage in Women Electors.”
– The money is used to support people from both parties, but not presidential candidates. They are chosen based on, among other things, how they promote the availability of innovative medicines, says the company’s press director, Christina Malmberg Hägerstrand.
Are you still overweight for Republican candidates?
– Our PAC only awards to candidates who have already been elected, therefore the grants reflect the political situation in the states and Congress.
One of the Republicans who has received support is Republican Brett Guthrie, who received $ 4,000 last winter. This summer, he led a hearing in the House of Representatives of, among others, Astra Zeneca on how safe vaccines against COVID-19 will be.
Why is he an important person to support?
– I can not comment on individuals or donations.
For SSAB, about one in five crowns of income They also produce plate here in two states: Iowa and Alabama. From there, some of the politicians that the steel giant’s PAC supports in their fight will also reach Congress. But it also gives money, among others, to the American Institute of Iron and Steel; In total, the SSAB PAC has donated $ 30,500 in the last two years.
– What decides is, for example, the attitude of candidates towards the steel industry and which committees they sit on, says Mia Widell, SSAB press director.
Last year, Swedish Match received the green light from the US Medicines Agency to market its snus as “a less dangerous alternative” to cigarettes in the US, a growing market.
In this context, the company’s PAC has delivered a modest sum of $ 6,000 in the last two years, but support is concentrated, to three Republicans who want to go to Congress.
– The company itself makes no contribution, but encourages our employees to get involved in the democratic process and vote. Our PAC primarily supports political representatives from where we operate: Kentucky, Alabama, and Virginia. Donations are more tied to politicians who drive industry problems and are supposed to benefit the development of the company in the long run, says communications manager Johan Wredberg.
One of those who receives money is Mitch McConnell, leader of the Republican group in the Senate. For many years he has had very good relations with the tobacco industry, but he is also behind a proposal to raise the tobacco purchase limit from 18 to 21 years.
– Our target group is existing smokers, who want an alternative. The typical consumer of our non-smoking products are adult men over 30, says Johan Wredberg.
