Like its competitors, Chevron has not been shy about spending its lobbying dollars on oil and energy issues. So far in the 2012 two-year election cycle, the company has donated about $500,000, 87% of which has gone toward Republican candidates.
CEO John Watson has given out a chunk of change himself. He has maxed out on the individual candidate contribution limits mandated by the FEC for his contributions to Mitt Romney and Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah. Watson donated $2,500 to each candidate in 2011. Hatch has been an ally of the oil and gas industry, publicly defending taxpayer subsidies for big oil companies like Chevron.
