Multi-level marketing ventures found to fund Republicans and win concessions

A quartet of major multi-level marketing ventures, described by some as “legal pyramid schemes,” have poured roughly $2.5 million into the political process since the 2024 electoral cycle through campaign contributions from their political committees and leadership, a Washington Examiner review of campaign finance filings has found.

Contributions from Amway, doTerra, Mary Kay, and Herbalife — four of the largest MLMs in America — almost exclusively benefitted members of the Republican Party. Democratic candidates and committees received just around $100,000 of the approximately $2.5 million the industry has paid out between January 2023 and present. In many cases, politicians who receive cash from MLM firms have gone on to pursue legislative actions viewed as beneficial to the industry, which critics often describe as predatory.

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