In late November 2024, a Reddit thread on the r/TwoXChromosomes forum sparked a discussion about consciously choosing to patronize businesses based on the perceived political affiliations of their owners, specifically targeting those identified as conservative. The thread, initiated under the title “Let’s talk about cancelling conservative-owned businesses and services,” asked users to identify service providers – hairstylists, therapists, mechanics, and others – and whether they believed those individuals supported Republican candidates or held conservative views.
The conversation reflects a growing trend of politically motivated consumerism, though the practice is not new. While calls to boycott companies based on their political stances have occurred across the political spectrum, the recent Reddit thread highlights a specific effort to identify and potentially avoid businesses owned by individuals perceived to hold conservative beliefs. This approach contrasts with more traditional boycotts focused on a company’s specific policies or practices.
The increasing politicization of consumer choices comes as corporate America navigates shifting political landscapes. A 2022 analysis by Yahoo Finance identified Tesla, NextEra Energy, and First Solar as companies that have benefited from Democratic policies, specifically citing the Inflation Reduction Act and its incentives for clean energy technologies. The Act, passed in August 2022, provides tax breaks and carbon credits for renewable energy companies and subsidies for carbon capture technologies.
Still, the historical trend has seen greater corporate political alignment with the Republican Party. According to a Harvard Law School study cited by S&P Global in 2022, CEOs of S&P 1500 companies contributed more frequently to Republican campaigns than Democratic ones between 2000 and 2017, with over 60% favoring the GOP. The study also noted industry-specific tendencies, with energy, manufacturing, and chemical companies leaning more Republican, while tech, finance, and telecommunications industries showed greater Democratic support.
This historical pattern is now facing challenges. The Yahoo Finance report suggests a shift, with Democratic policies becoming increasingly attractive to certain sectors. Simultaneously, conservative organizations are pushing back against what they perceive as political interference in investment decisions. In January 2024, a coalition of conservative groups – including the National Taxpayers Union, Taxpayer Protection Alliance, and R Street – released a set of principles advocating for the protection of pensions and investments from “politicization” and rejecting government efforts to steer business based on “narrow political agendas.”
The debate extends to the realm of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing. A September 2024 report by Centerline Liberties, titled “ESG: Politics Over Policy and Unintended Consequences,” examined the rise of anti-ESG legislation and its potential negative effects, warning of “regulatory confusion and economic uncertainty” resulting from partisan approaches. The organization’s president, James Dozier, stated that unnecessary partisanship was creating a “pendulum swing” in the ESG debate.
Despite these concerns from conservative groups about political influence, the Reddit thread demonstrates a parallel effort to exert political pressure on businesses through consumer choices. A list published by Fox News in February 2023 identified 51 “big businesses at war with conservatives,” suggesting a perceived bias against conservative viewpoints within the corporate world. The thread’s focus on individual business owners, however, represents a more granular level of political scrutiny than targeting large corporations.
Freedom to Invest, a group advocating for limited government intervention in business, emphasizes the importance of keeping politics out of boardroom decisions and rejecting politically motivated efforts to influence government contracts. This position aligns with the principles outlined by the coalition of conservative organizations, but stands in contrast to the actions discussed in the Reddit thread.
