Several high-level Amazon executives including CEO Jeff Bezos pumped cash into Republican Colorado Senator Cory Gardner's campaign committee, a new third quarter Federal Election Commission filing revealed. But the money isn't to help the Senator in the Nov. 6 midterms. Gardner isn't up for re-election until 2020.
Bezos, along with his wife MacKenzie, each wrote checks worth $5,400 to Gardner's campaign committee, the most individuals can give to those seeking public office.
Bezos was joined by eight other Amazon representatives, including a $5,400 contribution by CEO of Amazon's Worldwide Consumer division Jeffrey Wilkie and the same amount from Brian Olsavsky, the companies chief financial officer. All of the contributions from the Amazon executives came in September.
Representatives for Amazon and Gardner did not return requests for comment.
While it's unclear why some leaders at the online retailer decided to back Gardner, Amazon has lobbied for numerous pieces of legislation that the Colorado Republican has co-sponsored. The DIGIT Act, which recently passed the United States Senate and is expected to be voted on in the House of Representatives, is one of four Gardner co-sponsored bills that Amazon's government relations team supported.
The bill, introduced by Republican Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska, calls on the Commerce Department to create a working group to examine what's described as the "Internet of Things," a network of devices that are connected by the internet and have the ability to exchange data.
A second quarter lobbying disclosure form shows Amazon spent over $3 million on issues pertaining to that bill and other pieces of legislation at the time.
Gardner's state has also seen a boost from Amazon's goal of expanding their operation throughout the country. In 2017, Amazon opened a fulfillment center in Aurora, Colorado. In September of that year, it was reported that the company hired over 900 people to work in the new location. Gardner, at the time, celebrated the grand opening in a tweet.
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In October 2017, Gardner, along with other members of Colorado's Congressional delegation, signed a letter to Bezos supporting the decision to make their state a candidates for Amazon's HQ2 project. The retail company is looking to create a new corporate headquarters in a city separate from their home base of Seattle. In January, Denver was on the list of potential cities where the new headquarters could be located and the Amazon CEO has said he will make a final decision on the the host city by the end of the year.
Gardner, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee that helps Republicans get elected into the Senate, is one of top beneficiaries of Amazon's campaign donations in the 2018 election cycle, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. The two candidates above him are Democratic Congressman Beto O'Rourke, who is looking to unseat Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Democratic Washington Senator Maria Cantwell, who is seeking re-election in November.
Amazon and Bezos have become some of the top spenders throughout the 2018 midterm season.
With a net worth of $144 billion and being considered the wealthiest man in the world by Forbes, Bezos gave over just over $10 million back in August to the With Honor Fund, a bipartisan super PAC looking to elect veterans into the House this year.
Amazon employees and affiliated political action committees spent $12.6 million on this years midterms, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. It's the most company executives have invested into an election since 2016 when only $1 million was put forward.
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