SUPER TUESDAY: Home Depot Founders Split
Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus have been through a lot together — the two of them were fired from the same hardware store chain on the same day; they then founded the Home Depot chain of hardware mega-stores, building it into a multi-billion dollar business; and they are now both prominent Jewish philanthropists in their adopted city of Atlanta.
But the two have parted ways in the presidential race.
According to filings with the Federal Election Commission, Blank has donated the maximum of $4600 to both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, as well as $2100 to Mitt Romney. Marcus, meanwhile, has conserved his cash, making one $2300 donation to the now-defeated Rudy Giuliani.
The political divergence of the two is nothing new — Blank has historically donated heavily to Democrats, though he has also supported a few Republicans, including Georgia’s incumbent Republican Senators. He also donated to Senator Joseph Lieberman, both before and after Lieberman split with the Democratic Party in his 2006 Senate race.
Marcus, meanwhile, has been a steady supporter of Republicans, though he disburses far less cash than Blank. His donations have supported several prominent Jewish Republicans, including Senators Arlen Specter and Norm Coleman, and Rep. Eric Cantor, as well as hawkish Democrat Rep. Tom Lantos.
Marcus and Blank did team up in 2006 to back local Democrat Hank Johnson in his successful congressional race against controversial incumbent Rep. Cynthia McKinney.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
