Milwaukee-based retail giant Kohl's says 'No' to sponsoring Republican convention events

• Wisconsin-based department store giant Kohl's will not sponsor any events related to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this July.
• Kohl's is one of the few big companies in Wisconsin that's opted out of the convention in Milwaukee.
• Wisconsin based Northwestern Mutual and Fiserv are among the companies sponsoring the event.

Milwaukee based department store giant Kohl's says it will not sponsor any events related to the Republican National Convention in that city this summer, where Donald Trump will be crowned the party's nominee for president.

"Kohl's is not a political organization nor donor and is not sponsoring nor engaging in any specific RNC events," a spokeswoman for the company told CNBC. "We support the business community through the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce."

The convention is expected to bring around 50,000 people to the Brew City from July 15 - 18, culminating in Trump's all but certain acceptance of his party's nomination on the final night.

The announcement comes as both Republicans and Democrats are scrambling to secure corporate support for their party conventions at a time when many big name brands are trying to stay far away from politics.

Among Wisconsin's largest companies on the Fortune 500, the top two are planning to directly sponsor the convention: Northwestern Mutual and Fiserv. The next two, ManpowerGroup and Kohl's, are not.

ManpowerGroup told CNBC it is supporting the nonprofit Milwaukee 2024 Host Committee through donations to the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC).

"We have not directly provided funds to the RNC but rather MMAC has provided funds on our and others behalf, just like they did for the DNC [Democratic National Convention]," a