A line has been drawn in the political sand, with news Friday morning that Milwaukee-based department store giant Kohl’s (NYSE:KSS) says it will not sponsor any events related to the Republican National Convention in that city this summer, where Donald Trump will be crowned the party’s nominee for president.
“Kohl’s is not a political organization nor donor and is not sponsoring nor engaging in any specific RNC events,” a spokeswoman for the company told the media. “We support the business community through the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.”
The convention is expected to bring around 50,000 people to the Brew City from July 15 - 18, culminating in Trump’s all but certain acceptance of his party’s nomination on the final night.
The announcement comes as both Republicans and Democrats are scrambling to secure corporate support for their party conventions at a time when many big name brands are trying to stay far away from politics.
Fiserv is among Wisconsin’s largest companies on the Fortune 500 planning to directly sponsor the convention. ManpowerGroup and Kohl’s are not.
ManpowerGroup said it is supporting the nonprofit Milwaukee 2024 Host Committee through donations to the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.
KSS shares captured a penny in the first hour to $22.46.
