MOVEON'S CALL TO ACTION

Politico reports:

Target’s refusal to acknowledge its customers’ outrage at their attempt to buy elections is scandalous,” Justin Ruben, Executive Director of MoveOn.org, said in the statement. “Americans have spoken: we don’t want corporations meddling in our democracy. Corporate money in elections is nothing more than political bribery and we’re not going to stop targeting Target until they stop trying to buy our elections.”

On Monday, despite pressure from MoveOn, Human Rights Campaign and other gay rights groups, Target declined to contribute $150,000 to pro-gay rights candidates. The company maintained it fully supports the gay and lesbian community in its workplaces and through corporate sponsorships, but it decided to keep its options open, “given the current political and emotionally charged environment.”

HRC and MoveOn.org have spearheaded petition drives and a boycott of Target since it decided to support Emmer, a state House member who angered the progressive community for his conservative positions on abortion and birth control. Target officials have said the donation to a newly-formed business group, Minnesota Forward, came from its business account rather than its internal political action committee; the retailer is backing Emmer because he appeared to be the strongest pro-business candidate in the race.