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Google Employees Overwhelmingly Back Warnock, Other Senate Democrat Candidates

   DailyWire.com
16 August 2022, North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne: A lettering with the logo of Google is stuck on a glass pane in the press center of Koelnmesse. Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
(Photo by Rolf Vennenbernd/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) has raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars for his 2022 Senate campaign from Google employees, according to a Daily Wire review of campaign finance records. 

Employees at Google, the world’s most popular search engine, have overwhelmingly backed Warnock over Republican challenger Herschel Walker, giving the incumbent over $200,000 to support his campaign. 

According to the latest processed campaign receipts from the Federal Election Commission, more than 800 separate donations have been made by employees of Google or its parent company Alphabet Inc., to Warnock to the tune of $210,500. 

In contrast, Walker has only received six contributions from Google employees, all coming from two individuals for a total of $610. This means that Warnock has received 345 times more money from Google employees than Walker. 

The vast majority of the donations come from workers who live outside of the Peach State, with nearly 500 coming from California and dozens more coming from Massachusetts and New York. Just 36 of the donations came from an address in Georgia. 

Aside from many software engineers and managers giving money, donations from current and former top leadership at the tech giant have padded Warnock’s campaign coffers. Jason Spero, the vice president of performance media, has given to Warnock’s campaign multiple times, including donations of $2,800, $900, and $2,000. 

Eric E. Schmidt, the former CEO of Google and former chairman of Alphabet Inc., has also made several large donations to the far-Left Democrat. Schmidt, known for frequently backing Democrats, gave two donations of $2,900 to Warnock in December 2021, after he had stepped down from his official role with Alphabet Inc. in 2020. 

The pattern of financial support from employees of the tech giant holds true in other key races crucial for control of the Senate, though on a smaller level. In Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, Google employees have given an additional $248,088 to Democrat candidates. 

Of the nearly half a million dollars in total donations to candidates in these key races, 96% have gone to Democrats while only 4% to Republicans. This disparity is 20 points higher than the average for the communications/electronics industry, where almost 76% of donations have gone to Democrats in the 2022 election cycle, according to Open Secrets. 

In total, the receipts show that Google employees have given about $458,588 to Democratic candidates while only giving $19,510 to Republican candidates. The vast discrepancy could suggest an ideological bias at the tech giant, which has been accused of being unfair to conservatives.

When asked whether this apparent preference for Democrats could have an impact on the company, a spokesperson for Google told The Daily Wire that Google’s product is not politically biased and that the company as a whole gives to a broad swath of political campaigns.

“Google’s products are not politically biased. There is an incredible diversity of views on our platforms and political affiliation does not impact how our products are built or our policies are enforced,” the spokesperson told The Daily Wire. “Google employees, like all Americans, make their own decisions on their political contributions and Google donates on a bipartisan basis to political candidates and committees.”

Regardless, employees at the tech giant have favored Democratic Senate candidates across the board in key states.  Below is the breakdown of the state races analyzed. 

Arizona

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) has raked in more than $53,000 in donations from Google programmers, software engineers, and various managers, according to the most recent processed FEC information available. 

His opponent, venture capitalist Blake Masters, took in less than one-third of Kelly’s donations, receiving just over $14,000 from Google employees. Masters, by far, took in the most contributions from Google employees than any other Republican in the races analyzed. 

Nevada

In Nevada, where former state attorney general Adam Laxalt is hoping to unseat Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Google employees gave Masto about $31,047 while Laxalt has pulled in only $2,450. 

New Hampshire

Vulnerable Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan in New Hampshire has also received a healthy amount of support from Google employees, netting about $49,537. On the other hand, her opponent, retired Army general Don Bolduc, who just claimed victory in the Republican primary, has had no self-identified Google employees donate to his campaign. 

Pennsylvania

Of all the candidates analyzed, Pennsylvania Democrat Lt. Governor John Fetterman has pulled in the second-highest total, bringing in $65,330 from employees of the big tech company. His opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz, has received no donations from Google employees. 

Ohio

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), who has attempted to position himself as a moderate, easily took in more Google employee donations than his Republican opponent, the Trump-backed J.D. Vance. Ryan has reported more than $25,000 in contributions, while Vance has just $2,000.  

Wisconsin

In the Badger State, Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes (D) has received $22,553 in donations from Google employees, while incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), a frequent critic of tech bias, has brought in just $250.

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