Home Depot’s politics have two layers that often get confused. The company runs an employee-funded political action committee that gives to candidates in both parties, with a Republican lean that has narrowed from roughly 70/30 a decade ago to about 58/41 in the 2024 cycle. Its three co-founders, by contrast, are personally active in very different directions: Bernie Marcus was a top Republican megadonor until his death in November 2024, Ken Langone has swung between criticizing and endorsing Donald Trump, and Arthur Blank funds Democrats. Most of the controversy attached to the retailer traces back to the founders rather than to the company itself.
How the Home Depot PAC Gives
The Home Depot PAC is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from salaried associates and shareholders. The company says the average contribution is about $5 per paycheck, nearly half of salaried associates participated as of 2021, and the average donation to a candidate or lawmaker is roughly $2,500. The PAC does not donate to or endorse presidential candidates.1The Home Depot. Political Engagement at The Home Depot
In the 2023–2024 cycle, the PAC raised about $4.4 million and spent roughly $4.6 million, sending about $2 million directly to federal candidates. Of that candidate money, roughly 58% went to Republicans and 41% to Democrats.2OpenSecrets. Home Depot PAC Summary, 2024 The split has narrowed over time. In 2016, the PAC gave 70% to Republicans and 30% to Democrats; by 2020, the gap was 56/44.3Business Insider. Home Depot, Lowe’s Politics In 2024, the PAC contributed to 339 House members (178 Democrats, 161 Republicans) and 67 senators (37 Democrats, 28 Republicans).4OpenSecrets. Home Depot Recipients, 2024
The company says giving decisions turn on business priorities: committee assignments, leadership roles, votes on retail and supply-chain legislation, and whether a lawmaker represents a district where Home Depot has facilities. Associates can designate whether their contribution supports Republican or Democratic candidates.5The Home Depot. Political Activity and Government Relations Policy
What the Corporation Itself Funds
Home Depot draws a formal line between the employee PAC and its corporate treasury. It states that it generally does not make contributions from corporate funds to political campaigns, super PACs, or political parties.5The Home Depot. Political Activity and Government Relations Policy What corporate dollars do fund are the bipartisan governors’, attorneys general, lieutenant governors’, and legislative campaign associations, and the company has historically matched its giving to the Democratic and Republican versions of each.
From 2020 through 2025, the company gave $125,000 a year to both the Democratic Attorneys General Association and the Republican Attorneys General Association, with matching contributions to the two governors associations that rose from $25,000 each in 2020 to $100,000 or more each by 2022.6The Home Depot. Advocacy and Political Activity Reports, 2020–2025 Corporate policy says contributions are meant to promote business interests “without regard for the personal preferences of executives or directors.”5The Home Depot. Political Activity and Government Relations Policy
The Three Co-Founders and Their Politics
The company’s partisan reputation comes largely from its founders, who moved in very different directions.
Bernie Marcus
Bernie Marcus, who co-founded Home Depot in 1978 and died on November 4, 2024, at age 95, was one of the Republican Party’s largest individual donors. He gave $7 million to conservative super PACs backing Donald Trump in 2016 and $10 million to a pro-Trump super PAC ahead of the 2020 election.7ABC News. GOP Megadonor on Trump Leading 2024 Race He endorsed Trump again in 2024, saying the country “needs him desperately” while calling Trump’s style “brash” and “abusive.” He also gave $1 million to the AIPAC-affiliated United Democracy Project in July 2024.8Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Bernie Marcus, Home Depot Founder, Dies at 95 In a 2022 Financial Times interview, he said “the woke people have taken over the world” and warned about “socialism” in America.9CNN. Home Depot Co-Founder Bernie Marcus Dies
Ken Langone
Ken Langone, another co-founder, has had a more complicated relationship with the current Republican Party. His donation record is heavily Republican with occasional Democratic contributions, including to former Senator Charles Schumer and to Thomas DiNapoli.10OpenSecrets. Ken Langone Donor Profile
In December 2023, Langone endorsed Nikki Haley for the Republican presidential nomination, called her “statesman-like” and “elegant,” said Trump’s time had “come and gone,” and described Trump’s behavior during the January 6 Capitol attack as “disgraceful.”11CNN. Ken Langone Endorses Nikki Haley After Trump returned to office, Langone criticized the administration’s April 2025 tariffs, calling the 46% rate on Vietnam “bulls–t” and the 34% rate on China “too aggressive, too soon.”12New York Post. Billionaire GOP Donor Ken Langone Rips Trump Tariffs
By July 15, 2025, he had reversed course. In a CNBC interview, Langone said, “I am sold on Trump,” and added that Trump “has a good shot at going down in history as one of our best presidents ever.” Asked about his earlier criticism, he said, “When you make a mistake, admit it.”13Forbes. Billionaire Home Depot Co-Founder Langone Flips on Trump The White House amplified the interview the same day.14The White House. Home Depot Co-Founder Now ‘Sold on Trump’
Arthur Blank
Arthur Blank, the third co-founder and owner of the Atlanta Falcons, funds Democrats. In the 2020 cycle, he gave $300,000 to the Biden Victory Fund, $35,000 to the Democratic National Convention, and tens of thousands to state Democratic Party committees.15InfluenceWatch. Arthur Blank He hosted a high-dollar fundraiser for President Biden in Atlanta in May 2024.16The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Arthur Blank to Hold Fundraiser for Biden in Atlanta Federal records for the 2024 cycle show nearly all giving from his foundation flowing to Democratic candidates and committees, with the largest single expenditure being $400,000 to the Republican Accountability PAC, a group opposing election-denying Republicans.17OpenSecrets. Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Recipients, 2024 When Georgia passed Senate Bill 202 restricting voting access in 2021, Blank said lawmakers “should be working to make voting easier, not harder” and pledged that his businesses and foundation would support voting-access efforts.
Boycotts and Public Backlash
Home Depot has faced repeated boycott campaigns, driven mainly by its founders’ political activity and, in one case, by the company’s silence on a political issue.
The first significant wave came in 2016 and returned in 2019 after Marcus made public comments backing Trump. Critics on social media urged shoppers to switch to Lowe’s.9CNN. Home Depot Co-Founder Bernie Marcus Dies
In April 2021, a group of Georgia religious leaders launched a national boycott after the company declined to meet with them or take a public position on Georgia’s newly signed voting law. Bishop Reginald Jackson, who oversees more than 500 African Methodist Episcopal churches in Georgia, and the Reverend Timothy McDonald of the African American Ministers Leadership Council led a news conference outside a Decatur store where clergy chanted “teach our dollars some sense.” They contrasted Home Depot’s silence with the more active engagement of Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola. The company said it believed “all elections should be accessible, fair and secure,” cited the donation of 9,200 plexiglass dividers to Georgia polling stations during the pandemic, and did not take a position on the law itself.18NBC News. Georgia Religious Leaders Call Boycott of Home Depot
A third round came in April 2022, when the watchdog group Accountable.US reported that the Home Depot PAC had donated $360,000 to about 60 recipients, including Republican lawmakers who had objected to the certification of the 2020 election. Boycott calls again urged shoppers to move to Lowe’s. The company said its PAC “supports candidates on both sides of the aisle who champion pro-business, pro-retail positions,” and a spokesperson noted it was “one of the largest donors to members of the New Democrat Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus.”19Newsweek. Home Depot Facing Boycott Calls
The 2025 DEI Language Change
In March 2025, Home Depot removed explicit references to diversity, equity, and inclusion from its public website. A statement posted since July 2022 that described a “diverse, equitable and inclusive culture” as a “competitive advantage” and “key to our long-term success” was replaced by a page called “WeAreTHD” under a broader “Living Values” section. The new language emphasizes a “welcoming culture” without using the words diversity, equity, or inclusion. A spokesperson said, “We’re proud to have a culture that welcomes everyone, and we believe it helps us achieve our business goals.”20HR Grapevine. Home Depot Deletes References to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion The change was made without a formal announcement, and reporting linked the timing to political pressure from the Trump administration to eliminate DEI programs in government and business.
How This Compares to Lowe’s
Lowe’s, Home Depot’s main competitor, is a useful yardstick. In the 2024 cycle, Lowe’s total political contributions were about $1.2 million, less than a quarter of Home Depot’s roughly $5.4 million.21OpenSecrets. Lowe’s Companies Summary, 2024 Both PACs lean Republican, though historically more so at Lowe’s: 87% Republican in 2016, 70% in 2020, compared with Home Depot’s move from 70% to 56% over the same period.3Business Insider. Home Depot, Lowe’s Politics What sets Home Depot apart politically is less its PAC, which behaves much like the PACs of other large retailers, than the outsized personal profiles of Marcus and Langone, which have no clear parallel at Lowe’s.