Sinegal is an outspoken Democrat.
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Sinegal made a speech in support of President Obama at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
“Some of my friends in corporate America say that they need a government that gets off the backs of businesses, and that’s why they’re supporting the opposition with donations of hundreds of millions of dollars,” Sinegal said, “but I think they’ve got it all wrong. Business needs a president who has covered the backs of businesses, a president who understands what the private sector needs to succeed, a president who takes the long view and makes the tough decisions. And that’s why I’m here tonight supporting President Obama.”
Sinegal’s involvement in Obama’s reelection effort didn’t end there. The Costco cofounder wrote an email blast for the Obama campaign and donated $200,000 to groups supporting the former president, per The Washington Post.
Outside of the campaign, The Post described Costco’s relationship with the White House as a “romance.” Obama frequently mentioned shopping at Costco, and called Sinegal “a great friend of mine and somebody who I greatly admire” during a 2014 visit to a Costco store, per The Post.
In 2016, Sinegal endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for president, signing a letter alongside other business leaders including Google cofounder Eric Schmidt, designer Rebecca Minkoff, BET founder Robert Johnson, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, Business Insider previously reported.
In June 2019, Sinegal co-hosted a fundraiser for former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign in Medina, Washington, alongside Microsoft executives and Seattle’s former deputy mayor, The Seattle Times reported.