OLYMPIA, Washington (AP) — If Starbucks chief Howard Schultz wants U.S. voters to withhold campaign cash from federal politicians, he may need to start with trying to halt the flow of donations from his employees.
Schultz had invited Americans to join him in withholding campaign contributions until politicians could reach a bipartisan deal to stabilize the nation's fiscal situation — an appeal that Fortune magazine cited in naming Schultz its "Businessperson of the Year" last week.
But Starbucks leadership, employees and the company's lobbying firm have continued to contribute thousands of dollars to federal politicians, according to campaign records reviewed by The Associated Press.
There's no evidence the "withhold" movement has had any impact, as third-quarter donations to congressional campaigns were actually higher than during the last election cycle. In the six weeks after the coffee guru announced his pledge with the support of dozens of other business executives, donations continued among many of those companies, including AOL, Juniper Networks and NASDAQ.
Walter Robb, the co-CEO of Whole Foods and a top supporter of the movement, gave an in-kind donation to a congressional campaign in September after taking Schultz's vow. He said through a spokeswoman that he had committed to providing food and beverage to Jared Huffman, a candidate in California's 2nd Congressional District, earlier in the summer.
The lobbying firm that handles much of Starbucks' work in the U.S. capital, K&L Gates, has continued to donate through its political action committee to current and prospective members of Congress — some $40,000 from the start of the pledge through the end of September.
Meanwhile, two members of the company's board of directors, which Schultz leads as chairman, gave donations after the vow was announced. Mellody Hobson, a Starbucks board member who donated $1,500 to U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, said she has not signed the pledge. Sheryl Sandberg, a Facebook executive who serves on the Starbucks board and recently gave donations to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, declined comment through a spokesman.
Schultz himself donated campaign cash in the months before his announcement, giving $5,000 to U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell. He has not given since, according to campaign records. Arthur Rubinfeld, one of Schultz's closest aides as president of global development at Starbucks, gave a $500 donation to Cantwell just a few days before Schultz went public with his plan.
At least three other Starbucks employees have given donations since Schultz promoted the pledge, including Steve Johannesen, a director of international development at Starbucks, who gave $2,000 to President Barack Obama's re-election campaign in September.
Jim Olson, a Starbucks spokesman, said Schultz fully respects the personal decisions of employees and board members.
"Howard's pledge was a personal request, not a company initiative," Olson said.
Congressional candidates brought in some $177 million in the third quarter, up slightly from the same quarter in 2009, according to an AP analysis of FEC records.
Olson said the effort was designed to increase confidence and draw attention to accountability.
"We have never claimed we would turn this country around by ourselves and know we still have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are very proud of the progress we are making and that we are trying to do something and setting an example for others," Olson said.
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Mike Baker can be reached at http://twitter.com/MikeBakerAP
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