Retail Giant Roams State's Political Landscape

SACRAMENTO -- After years of waging its political wars almost exclusively on the local level, Wal-Mart is spending aggressively this election in support of favored statewide candidates and ballot measures -- including donations to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state Republican Party.

The world's largest corporation, which once had a tradition of trying to stay out of politics, has given more than $2.4 million on California races so far this year -- well beyond any previous sum the company has spent here in one year. On Tuesday, the Bentonville, Ark.-based company announced it would donate an additional $500,000 to the opponents of Proposition 72, a measure that will require employers to provide basic health insurance to workers.

Read the rest of this article...