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Over the past two years, Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk has donated 100,000 US dollars to a controversial Republican association of ultra-conservative attorneys general, the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA).
This is according to reports submitted to the US authorities in 2023 and 2024, which Danwatch has reviewed.
AGA is behind a plethora of politically motivated bills that aim, for example, to restrict women’s right to abortion, dilute companies’ ability to address climate change, and halt diversity and inclusion initiatives.
In short, the association of ultra-conservative attorneys general is a key player in the anti-ESG movement that is currently making headlines and has gained particular momentum under US President Donald Trump.
Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA)
- The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) is an association of ultra-conservative Republican attorneys general in the US.
- Its members have significant influence on legislation in Republican states where they are elected.
- The organization promotes conservative values and actively works to oppose initiatives on climate, diversity and other sustainable issues that, according to RAGA, undermine free market forces and erode democracy.
RAGA’s controversial cases
- RAGA has repeatedly been involved in controversial cases using threatening letters, lawsuits and automated phone calls, robocalls, to mobilize conservative supporters.
- In 2021, RAGA, through its Rule of Law Defense Fund, paid for robocalls to tens of thousands of people urging “patriots” to “march on Congress,” sparking violent clashes.
- It is also RAGA that, with threats of legal action, has contributed to several major US banks, BlackRock, JP Morgan, State Street and many others, withdrawing from the Climate Action 100+ alliance.
- RAGA is also involved in opposing abortion and LGBTI+ rights.
Recently, RAGA has attempted to block a lawsuit filed by democratic states about the oil and gas industry’s responsibility for global warming and climate change. One of RAGA’s arguments is that the oil and gas industry has supported environmental improvements and prevented deaths.
RAGA is the coordinator of the anti-ESG movement
- The anti-ESG movement (ESG = Environment, Social & Governance), led by RAGA, is gaining momentum.
- Since 2022, RAGA’s 29 members have coordinated 473 new bills restricting sustainability (ESG) assessments in agreements and investments.
- In 2025 alone, 93 anti-ESG bills have already been introduced.
RAGA’s close ties to fossil fuel industries
- RAGA has close ties to the oil and gas industry and receives donations from players such as ExxonMobil, Chevron and Koch Industries.
- The donations are used to oppose climate action and support bills that protect the fossil fuel sector.
- RAGA argues that climate and environmental regulation hinders economic growth and shareholder returns.
RAGA’s key people: Steve Marshall and Ken Paxton
- Steve Marshall (Alabama) and Ken Paxton (Texas) are two prominent members of RAGA.
- Marshall has received significant donations from RAGA and is central to anti-ESG campaigns, while Paxton has been behind countless lawsuits challenging ESG initiatives.
- Both use legal tools to push conservative agendas and have a strong influence on the debate in their respective states.
RAGA’s funding and dark money
- RAGA is primarily funded by a few powerful donors and anonymous groups – often referred to as “dark money”. The funding ensures concrete policy outcomes through a “pay to play” model, which raises questions about transparency and the influence of money on policy decisions.
- Leonard Leo is one of RAGA’s most influential sponsors, supporting the organization since 2014 through his Concord Fund. Known for his role in the selection of conservative Supreme Court justices, Leo has close ties to the Trump administration.
About the anti-ESG movement
- The anti-ESG movement (ESG = Environment, Social & Governance) has emerged as a counter-reaction to the increasing inclusion of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in business.
- The movement argues that focusing on ESG can disrupt free market forces and weaken companies’ primary goal of maximizing shareholder value.
- The movement has gained particular support from conservative circles in the US, including RAGA.
RAGA therefore stands in contrast to the sustainable core values that the pharmaceutical company from Bagsværd has emphasized and preached for decades – including the use of the triple bottom line with a focus on economic, environmental and social results.
“The donations secure Novo Nordisk a seat at the table and provide access to the civil service in the states represented in RAGA. But it comes with a risk of being associated with controversial topics or highly politicized agendas that can be difficult to explain,” says Benjamin Carl Krag Egerod, assistant professor at CBS specializing in lobbying.
According to Novo Nordisk, the donation will be used to bring about change that will benefit American diabetes patients and obese people targeted by their medicine.
“Our mission is to work for real change in the US healthcare system that will benefit patients, and in this context, we engage with both parties,” Novo Nordisk writes in an email to Danwatch.
Sharp increase in Novo Nordisk’s lobbying expenses in the US
The oil industry and Trump’s ‘stop the steal’ narrative
Several of the association’s prominent members are working to develop the oil industry at the expense of climate considerations. The association’s members also played a central role when Donald Trump attempted to get a court ruling that election fraud was the reason he lost the White House in 2021.
Editor-in-Chief Amy Westervelt of the award-winning US-based global investigative media Drilled has been following RAGA and the oil industry for many years. She believes that the association’s activities are incompatible with corporate commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.
“RAGA has been part of a coordinated legal push to curtail abortion rights, environmental protection and gun safety laws, as well as voting restrictions. No one who considers themselves a supporter of democracy, equality, or sustainability would align themselves with this organization,” Amy Westervelt told Danwatch.
Novo Nordisk does not believe that the donation to RAGA is problematic in terms of running a responsible business.
“Our business practices are fully compliant with applicable laws and our continued focus on conducting business in an ethically responsible manner,” Novo Nordisk said.
Benjamin Carl Krag Egerod, on the other hand, points out that few companies in the US actually donate money to politically oriented organizations like RAGA.
“Precisely because of the risk of damaging their reputation by being associated with divisive issues, many companies in the US refrain from donating money to political organizations such as RAGA,” says Benjamin Carl Krag Egerod.
Novo Nordisk has not responded specifically to questions about why Novo Nordisk has donated money to RAGA or what theme or issue Novo Nordisk would like RAGA to influence.
“It is common practice for companies in the US, including Novo Nordisk, to collaborate with both Republicans and Democrats,” Novo Nordisk writes.
RAGA was established in the wake of the 1990s break with the harmful tobacco industry, which the conservative Republicans in RAGA were called upon to defend. Since then, RAGA has worked to restrict abortion rights, defended the fossil fuel industry against accusations of global warming, and introduced over 400 anti-ESG proposals in 41 states.
Novo Nordisk’s products, Ozempic and Wegovy
- Novo’s explosive growth in the US comes from sales of the products Ozempic and Wegovy. Ozempic is a medicine for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Wegovy is for the treatment of severe obesity and obesity in combination with weight-related health problems.
- According to the Danish Medicines Agency, both medicines are based on the same active ingredient, semaglutide. The substance reduces hunger and increases the sense of satiety.
Threatening letters and lawsuits
RAGA has also coordinated threatened letters about lawsuits against several US banks for their use of climate change risk assessments in their investments. The attack on the banks is coordinated by RAGA member Ken Paxton, who is the elected attorney general of Texas.
The threats prompted the world’s largest and most prominent US financial institutions, including BlackRock, JP Morgan and State Street, to leave the global climate alliance, Climate Action 100+, where investors are trying to get the world’s largest CO2 emitters to move against a green transition.
Ken Paxton is the man behind most of the RAGA-led lawsuits against sustainability considerations in business agreements and investments, and he is also a staunch supporter of Trump’s narrative that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him through massive voter fraud.
Paxton has been responsible for several lawsuits seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, which Trump lost to Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
Paxton’s methods are reminiscent of Donald Trump’s recent letter to Danish companies stating that diversity and inclusion programs may violate US law. Trump has issued several executive orders declaring that diversity initiatives are a threat to American values.
“You have to understand the donation in an American context. Not all attorneys general in the association share the same view on everything. That said, several of RAGA’s members are very active in the anti-ESG movement,” says Benjamin Carl Krag Egerod.