For Immediate Release: June 14th, 2022

Media Contact: [email protected]

Fight Corporate Monopolies to White House: Now Is the Time to Choose Between People or Corporations

New Polling and Swing State Focus Groups Find Strong Support for Challenging Corporate Power

WASHINGTON, DC – Fight Corporate Monopolies today sent a letter to the White House sharing new results of national polling and swing state focus groups that overwhelmingly find Americans are deeply concerned about the economy and strongly support populist solutions, especially more punitive measures to hold bad corporate actors accountable.

“Time is ticking. The American people want to know what side you’re on: Do you stand with working families hit with higher costs, or corporate monopolies that are jacking up prices, outsourcing jobs, avoiding taxes, and evading prosecution for criminal behavior? People across the country – and across party lines – want corporate giants finally held to account. They are poised to reward leaders who stand strongly with workers and small businesses – and who aren’t afraid to crack down on corporations who control our economy and corrupt our democracy,” wrote Helen Brosnan, Executive Director of Fight Corporate Monopolies. “The results of our massive survey effort couldn’t be clearer. Ahead of the midterms, voters across the nation are eager to support candidates who embrace economic populism and prove to the American people that corporations are no longer above the law.

The survey findings shared with the White House include results from four focus groups conducted by GBAO in Wisconsin and Arizona with Black voters, white non-college women, white non-college men, and Latino voters. GBAO’s poll was conducted with 1,000 likely 2022 voters.

Full text of the letter is below:

June 9, 2022

President Joseph R. Biden

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, DC 20500

CC: Brian Deese, Director, National Economic Council

Re: National and Swing State Survey on Support for Combatting Corporate Power

Dear President Biden,

Americans across the country are deeply concerned about the economy. Higher prices dominate the daily lives of working families – and their economic frustrations are likely to be reflected in the midterm elections. The American people know well that concentrated corporate power is hurting their communities, and they are calling for immediate, bold action.

Time is ticking. The American people want to know what side you’re on: Do you stand with working families hit with higher costs, or corporate monopolies that are jacking up prices, outsourcing jobs, avoiding taxes, and evading prosecution for criminal behavior?

People across the country – and across party lines – want corporate giants finally held to account. They are poised to reward leaders who stand strongly with workers and small businesses – and who aren’t afraid to crack down on corporations who control our economy and corrupt our democracy.

In this letter, we’ve included findings from new national polling and focus groups conducted in swing states across the country. The results of our massive survey effort couldn’t be clearer. Ahead of the midterms, voters across the nation are eager to support candidates who embrace economic populism and prove to the American people that corporations are no longer above the law.

Economic issues are top of mind – prices rise as Wall Street rakes in record profits and supply chain issues driven by economic concentration lead to shortages from baby formula to produce. The most compelling answer to these problems is reining in unfettered corporate power.

Voters are eager to hear elected leaders loudly push an aggressive economic message that targets monopolistic corporations and their malfeasance. There is still time for the White House to take up this mantle ahead of the midterms.

When voters hear about the White House’s previous actions to stand with working families and hold bad corporations accountable they react very favorably. Recent actions, including inviting Amazon union organizers to the White House and addressing concentration in the meat-processing industry to lower food prices, have shown American families you are on their side.

Now, they are calling on you to do more, and there is no time to waste. We found broad, strong support for increasing prosecution and penalties of corporate executives and companies when they break the law. American families want to see punitive actions taken against the monopolies hurting their communities. People are deeply concerned by outsourcing, tax evasion, and the relentless push for record profits at the expense of consumers.

You have the tools at your discretion, we urge you to publicly show a wholesale approach to combat corporate power.

Importantly, there is a coalition of elected officials, advocates, and experts who are ready to back up your continued fight against unchecked corporate power. By elevating this effort in the White House and across the Executive Branch, allies in this fight will be motivated to speak out in support on television.

An in-depth memo on the national survey is attached to this letter, with a topline summary below:

Inflation and Corporate Accountability Are Top Concerns

Inflation was named a “very serious” concern by 73% of voters nationally, with “a political system corrupted by corporate influence” following closely at 60%. Out of an array of economic messages, “large corporations are raising prices and making record profits while many Americans struggle to afford bills and daily costs” performed 90% better than the average message in a head-to-head matchup. This concern was also echoed in focused groups. For example, a Latino member of the Phoenix focus group said, “There is a greed factor in the raising of prices. I think they go up whether there’s a pandemic or not, but companies are covering their losses from the last couple of years.”

Real Action Against Corporate Power is Popular Across Party Lines

Voters not only view corporate accountability as a top-tier concern, they favor stronger regulations and punitive measures for corporate bad actors. 77% of voters were more likely to support a candidate who proposed to “increase prosecution and penalties of corporate executives and companies when they break the law,” and 76% of voters were more likely to support a candidate who proposed to “outlaw price gouging to crack down on companies using inflation and the pandemic as excuses to raise prices.” In addition, a vast majority of voters (83%) say corporations have too much influence over our government, with only modest differences in intensity between Democrats (53%) and Republicans (41%). And half—including a plurality of Republicans—think corporations need more regulation.

Right-Wing Culture Wars Are A Bottom-Tier Concern

Arguably there is more public debate about the importance of “cancel culture” to the campaign climate than about corporate accountability. Yet, this national poll shows “woke politics and cancel culture” to be a bottom-tier concern (37% very serious) compared to multiple economic arguments. Even Republicans are more concerned about the corporate corruption of our politics than about cancel culture (60% and 54% “very serious” concern, respectively).

For a detailed memo and presentation on the poll, please contact [email protected].

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Fight Corporate Monopolies is a registered 501(c)(4) nonprofit that is fighting back against the influence and power of big corporations. We do not accept any funding from corporations. For more information on Fight Corporate Monopolies, visit fightcorporatemonopolies.org