article_snippet.sent: (CNN)As goes Walmart, so goes the nation?
article_snippet.sent: But it was the opposition from Walmart, the ubiquitous retailer that dots the American landscape, that perhaps resonated most deeply, providing the latest evidence of growing support for gay rights in the heartland.
article_snippet.sent: Walmart's staunch criticism of a religious freedom law in Walmart home state of Arkansas came after Walmart said in February Walmart would boost pay for about 500,000 workers well above the federal minimum wage.
article_snippet.sent: Taken together, Walmart is emerging as a bellwether for shifting public opinion on hot-button political issues that divide conservatives and liberals.
article_snippet.sent: Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who famously called on the GOP to "be the party of Sam's Club, not just the country club," told CNN that Walmart's actions "foreshadow where the Republican Party will need to move.
article_snippet.sent: Walmart, which employs more than 50,000 people in Arkansas, emerged victorious on Wednesday.
article_snippet.sent: Walmart's opposition to the religious freedom law once again puts Walmart at odds with many in the Republican Party, which Walmart's political action committee has tended to support.
article_snippet.sent: In 2004, the Walmart PAC gave around $2 million to Republicans versus less than $500,000 to Democrats, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics.
article_snippet.sent: In 2014, the Walmart PAC spent about $1.3 million to support Republicans and around $970,000 for Democrats.
article_snippet.sent: the Walmart PAC has been a gradual transformation for Walmart.
article_snippet.sent: In 2011, Walmart bulked up Walmart nondiscrimination policies by adding protections for gender identity.
article_snippet.sent: Two years later, Walmart announced that Walmart would start offering health insurance benefits to same-sex partners of employees starting in 2014.
article_snippet.sent: Retail experts say Walmart's evolution on these issues over the years is partly a reflection of Walmart diverse consumer base, as well as a recognition of the country's increasingly progressive views of gay equality (support for same-sex marriage is at a new high of 59%, according to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll).
highlights_snippet.sent: While Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson was weighing an Arkansas religious freedom bill, Walmart voiced Walmart opposition .
  
highlights_snippet.sent: Walmart and other high-profile businesses are showing Walmart and other high-profile businesses support for gay and lesbian rights .
  
highlights_snippet.sent: Walmart and other high-profile businesses stance puts Walmart and other high-profile businesses in conflict with socially conservative Republicans, traditionally seen as allies .