Arthur Blank joins 'Business Leaders for Harris' as his former business partner funnels money to Trump
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- Home Depot cofounder and billionaire Arthur Blank joins business leaders supporting Harris.
- Blank's fellow cofounder is a prominent Trump donor, reflecting the private sector's partisan split.
- The group "Business Leaders for Harris" also includes Mark Cuban, Reid Hoffman, and Reed Hastings.
A group of prominent business leaders supporting Vice President Kamala Harris is expanding its ranks to include Arthur Blank, co-founder of Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons. "Business Leaders for Harris" launched earlier this month and already includes private sector titans like billionaire investor Mark Cuban, LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, and Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings.
Blank's participation is not surprising — he's a longtime Democratic donor who has donated to various congressional and presidential campaigns. Yet Blank's political participation puts him at odds with his former business partner and other Home Depot cofounder, Bernie Marcus, who is among former President Donald Trump's top donors.
Marcus has donated millions to the GOP and was an early MAGA supporter. He and his wife have given $2.7 million to the former president's 2024 campaign, after giving $10 million in 2020 and $5 million in 2016 to Trump-related super PACS.
Blank and Marcus are valued at $9.3 billion and $11.1 billion, respectively. The two founded Home Depot in 1978. Blank told Business Insider in 2020 that their political differences didn't interfere with their partnership or friendship.
This election season, the larger corporate and tech worlds have undergone a similar public splintering. While some vocal figures like venture capitalist Marc Andreesen, billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, and Elon Musk are vocal Trump supporters, Harris has worked hard to appeal to business leaders. She's scored endorsements from nearly 90 top Wall Street and tech executives, as well as a group of almost 900 venture capitalists.
In a statement about joining Business Leaders for Harris, Blank celebrated Harris' commitment to his core value of inclusion.
"Kamala Harris is a leader who understands this; will collaborate with other leaders and front-line workers to get the best ideas; and she will earnestly strive to be a unifier who drives policies that lift people and communities from all walks of life," he said in the statement.
In addition to Blank, Fulbright Bank chairman and former Democratic congressman John Delaney joined Business Leaders for Harris. The group also announced that it launched its first paid ad campaign, which will run on YouTube in the Blue Wall states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The six-figure ad campaign features a small business owner and former Trump supporter who explains why she's voting for Harris.