Campaign contributions are a thorny issues. They play an important role in helping candidates express their views, buy media placements, and travel on their campaign. But equally challenging are the concerns about mega donors ‘buying’ favor with current and future politicians. With all of that in mind, let’s look at who the biggest contributors are to political campaigns today. Here they are in order.
Why Is There So Much Money in American Elections?
An American election.
Ever since the 2010 Supreme Court case Citizens United v. FEC, the government has not been allowed to limit or restrict how much money companies and corporations can spend on or in our political system.
#20 Dustin Moskovitz
Dustin Moskovitz.
- Total Donations: $38.9 million
- Supports: Democrats
Dustin was a co-founder of Facebook and has since become a billionaire. He only donated to the campaign for Kamala Harris.
#19 Stephen and Christine Schwarzman
Stephen Schwarzman.
- Total Donations: $40 million
- Supports: Republicans
Steven is the CEO of infamous private equity firm, Blackstone, a company that has its fingers in nearly every industry around the world and is primarily responsible for many of the financial hardships faced by regular Americans, including rent increases, housing prices, grocery prices, and more.
Stephen donated to the campaigns for Mike Rogers, Tim Sheehy, and other Republican Senate candidates.
#18 House Majority Forward
The Capitol Building.
- Total Donations: $43.5 million
- Supports: Democrats
This group supports House Democrats and primarily donated to the campaigns of Democratic House candidates. It also donated to the Democratic National Convention.
#17 Koch Industries
David H. Koch.
- Total Donations: $43.5 million
- Supports: Republicans
Koch Industries is an industrial and corporate conglomerate owned by the billionaire Koch brothers. Charles Koch is the chairman of Koch Industries.
Koch Industries donated to Republican House and Senate candidates and primarily their own conservative super PAC Americans for Prosperity Action Inc.
#16 Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg.
- Total Donations: $47.4 million
- Supports: Democrats
Michael is the founder of the software and media company Bloomberg and former mayor of New York City.
Michael’s donated to the Kamala Harris presidential campaign, Democratic House candidates, and a PAC that supports pro-gun-control candidates.
#15 All Capital Management
Cryptocurrency.
- Total Donations: $49.8 million
- Supports: Primarily Republicans, Democrats
All Capital Management is a venture capital firm with significant investments in cryptocurrency and supported super PACs for Republicans and Democrats that promise to support the cryptocurrency industry. They publicly endorsed Trump.
#14 Ripple Labs
Cryptocurrency.
- Total Donations: $51 million
- Supports: Republicans and Democrats
Ripple Labs is a tech company in the cryptocurrency industry.
Ripple Labs contributed to super PACs on both sides of the political spectrum that support deregulating cryptocurrency and support the crypto industry.
#13 One Nation
The U.S. Capitol.
- Total Donations: $53.6 million
- Supports: Republicans
One Nation is a nonprofit that exists to fund the campaigns of Republican candidates. It only donated to the Senate Leadership Fund that supports Republican Senate candidates around the country.
#12 Fund for Policy Reform
George Soros.
- Total Donations: $60 million
- Supports: Democrats
Fund for Policy Reform only donated to Democracy PAC, a super PAC funded by George Soros that supports liberal causes.
#11 Paul Singer
Paul Singer.
- Total Donations: $63.4 million
- Supports: Republicans
Paul is the co-CEO and founder of Elliott Management.
Paul’s biggest donations were to the Donald Trump presidential campaign and Republican congressional candidates.
#10 Empower Parents PAC
Ron DeSantis.
- Total Donations: $82.5 million
- Supports: Republicans
Empower Parents used to be known as “Friends of Ron DeSantis” and even though its name has changed, its goals have not.
All of Empower Parents’ contributions went to Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign.
#9 Coinbase
Coinbase Co-founder and CEO Brian Armstrong.
- Total Donations: $93.6 million
- Supports: Democrats and Republicans
Coinbase has primarily donated to pro-crypto super PACs that support both Republicans and Democrats. It is only aligned with the candidates that promise to relax crypto regulation.
#8 Jeff and Janine Yass
American elections.
- Total Donations: $96.2 million
- Support: Republicans
Jeff founded the Susquehanna International Group investment company and Janine founded a charter school with her husband’s money and is an avid advocate of school choice.
Jeff and Janine’s biggest contributions were to a conservative super PAC funded by Jeff’s own company, Republican House candidates, and other conservative super PACs.
#7 Kenneth Griffin
Kenneth Griffin.
- Total Donations: $103.7 million
- Supports: Republicans
Kenneth founded the Citadel hedge fund and is its current CEO.
Kenneth’s biggest contributions were to Republican congressional candidates and the campaign for Dave McCormick.
#6 Majority Forward
Voting in a booth.
- Total Donations: $113.2 million
- Supports: Democrats
Majority Forward’s biggest donations were to the campaigns for Jon Tester and Sherrod Brown and other Democratic Senate candidates.
#5 Elon Musk
Elon after making his Nazi salute.
- Total Donations: $132.2 million
- Supports: Republicans
The famous son of apartheid and inheritor of his father’s emerald mine fortune.
Elon’s biggest donations were to Donald Trump and Republican congressional candidates. Of course, this does not include any non-financial help he gave the campaigns through his social media platform X (Twitter).
#4 Miriam Adelson
Miriam Adelson.
- Total Donations: $136 million
- Supports: Republicans
Miriam inherited her wealth from her late husband and is now the majority shareholder of the Las Vegas Sands.
Miriam’s biggest donations were to Donald Trump’s campaign, and Republican House and Senate candidates.
#3 Future Forward USA Action
Kamala Harris.
- Total Donations: $138.5 million
- Supports: Democrats
Future Forward’s largest donations were to the Kamala Harris campaign and the Democratic National Convention.
#2 Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein
The U.S. Capitol.
- Total Donations: $139 million
- Supports: Republicans
The Uihlein’s biggest donations were to Restoration PAC, which opposed the Tammy Baldwin campaign, a right-leaning super PAC Club For Growth Action, and Donald Trump’s campaign. According to their own statements, they donate money to causes outside the mainstream Republican party hoping to push it further to the political right.
#1 Timothy Mellon
Robert Kennedy.
- Total Donations: $197 million
- Supports: Republicans
Timothy Mellon’s largest donations were to Donald Trump’s campaign and Robert Kennedy Jr.’s campaign, along with Republican House candidates.
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