Darden has a PAC?!!
Darden quadruples PAC donations to $684K
Darden Restaurants is seeking to widen its influence in Washington, funneling four times as much money to congressional candidates and political parties as it did four years ago.
Its political-action committee has contributed $684,000 so far in this two-year election cycle, federal records show. In 2008, the PAC disbursed $159,700. Two years ago, that grew to just more than $400,000.
The Orlando-based company's contributions reflect a growing desire to become more influential in national politics, Darden leaders say. The world's largest full-service dining company, it weighs in on everything from food safety to taxes.
Darden wants "to increase our relationship-building with public-policy makers," said Chip Kunde, the company's vice president of government relations. "The PAC is certainly part of that. It's a tool we use ... so we could support candidates really on a national scale rather than being regional or focusing on Florida."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-darden-pac-elections-20120926,0,7383773.story