Title: Does AARP Support the Democratic Party? | Snopes.com
Headings: Does AARP Support the Democratic Party?
Does AARP Support the Democratic Party?
When individuals support a political party, it does not automatically mean their employer follows suit.
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Content: However, contributions from individuals who work for AARP is another matter. “AARP does not have any record of direct contributions to political parties or candidates based on my review of federal campaign finance and tax filings covering recent years, but AARP’s officers [executives] and employees can still make political donations in a personal capacity, and contributions from donors listing AARP as their employer in Federal Election Commission records have primarily gone to Democratic candidates in recent years,” said Anna Massoglia, a researcher for The Center for Responsive Politics. AARP policy prohibits employees or officers from engaging in any personal political activity using AARP resources or during work hours. According to campaign finance data tracked by Open Secrets, individual donors associated with AARP made a total of $96,381 in political contributions as of this writing in the 2020 federal election cycle, the majority (87.45%) of those donations going to Democratic candidates. Massoglia said that as a 501 (c)4 organization, the AARP is allowed under U.S. tax code to engage in some political campaign activity. But their activities have been issue-oriented and bipartisan. For example, a 2018 AARP ad praised U.S. President Donald Trump on drug pricing policy. The organization has also supported upholding the Affordable Care Act, the landmark health care law signed by Trump’s Democratic predecessor, President Barack Obama. AARP spokesperson Jason Young told us by phone that the organization, as a 501 (c)4 non-profit, is prohibited by law from making political contributions. “ Not only does AARP not make donations of this sort, we never have and we don’t have a PAC,” Young added.