Tom Steyer And Kathryn Ann Taylor $598 Million
Steyer is an environmentalist and former hedge fund manager at Farallon Capital who made his fortune picking diamonds out of the dust, as one magazine put it. In 2012, Steyer walked away from his company to focus full time on political activism and philanthropy. He and his wife, Taylor, have an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion and have become top Democratic donors.
Steyer launched an online petition urging Trumps impeachment that has garnered 6.1 million signatures and made establishment Democrats uneasy. He opted not to donate any money to Democratic Party committees this year after Democrats in Congress voted to reopen the government despite failing to reach an immigration deal.
Steyer has pledged to spend nearly $120 million in the 2018 midterm campaign, including $70 million to NextGen America, his nonprofit focused on climate change that is helping register and turn out young voters and people of color. Speaking to a student on the Cal State Fullerton campus this fall, Steyer said, You can change this world, or it can be run by a bunch of arrogant, entitled, rich white old men.
A spokesman for Steyer says much of the money he spends wont be documented by campaign finance filings submitted to the Federal Election Commission but in IRS filings due next year.
These Are The 10 Billionaires Who Influence Politics In America The Most
When Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars sang about how much they wanted to be billionaires, mostly they were interested in living the good life for themselves. Actual billionaires in the United States have found avenues for their money that accomplish much more. Given the vast amount of wealth they control and their outsized role in the American political process, the extremely rich have access to corridors of power in America the rest of us can only dream of.
The Brookings Institution’s Darrell West devised a ranking to sort out which of these larger-than-life figures are the most politically powerful, factoring in “campaign expenditures, activism through nonprofit organizations and foundations, holding public office, media ownership, policy thought leadership and behind-the-scenes influence.” Ranging from media moguls to high-profile philanthropists to serving Cabinet members, here are the real top 10 influencers on American political thought and action today.
Linkedin Cofounder Reid Hoffman Donated $9315826 Mostly To Democrats
Total donations: $9,315,826
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Net worth: $1.9 billion
Reid Hoffman was an early employee of PayPal and one of the first investors in Facebook, according to Forbes. Hoffman founded Linkedin in 2003. Hoffman sold LinkedIn for $26.2 billion to Microsoft in 2016 and now sits on Microsoft’s board, according to Forbes.
Hoffman gave $8,317,326 to Democrats and $433,500 to Republicans in 2018, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Heiress Deborah Simon Donated $97 Million To Democrats
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Net worth: Unknown
Deborah Simon is the daughter of Indiana shopping mall developer Melvin Simon. Simon inherited a portion of her father’s fortune after a bitter legal battle over his estate with her stepmother Bren Simon, according to Forbes.
Simon’s family had a net worth of $6.8 billion in 2014, according to Forbes.
Americas Top 20 Ceos Donated To The Midterm Elections At Republicans And Democrats:
Republicans Are Racist And Not Shy To Lie About It
Today’s republicans are not Abraham Lincoln alike. The neo-cons are all racist, like Donald Trump, Jan Brewer, Donald Sterling, Mike Huckabee, Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Bob McDonnell… The name list just can go too long. Of course, not all republican are racists but their party has a racist culture and their public racist comments and behaviors are just too common and normal. If you talk about the history of two party, the republican party might not be that racist, but today’s republican are way more racist than any party out there. I’m neither a conservative nor liberal, that I’m independent. But I support democrat party because this party is not racist and try to direct the country’s culture to diversity and multiculturalism. It is just too late for those racist cons try to change the nation back to a white country, if you take into the consideration that there are almost 30% of people are minorities.
Us Democratic Fundraising Arm Outraises Republican Counterpart In July
Supporters of Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Joe Biden gather with their cars for a socially distanced election celebration as they await Bidens remarks and fireworks in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. November 7, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
WASHINGTON, Aug 20 – The fundraising arm of the U.S. Democratic Party raised more money in July than its Republican counterpart, helped by big contributions from billionaire donors including investor George Soros and former Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt.
Disclosures filed on Friday with the Federal Election Commission showed the Democratic National Committee raised about $13.1 million last month, above the $12.9 million raised by the Republican National Committee.
The RNC still had more money in the bank at the close of the month – $79 million compared to nearly $68 million held by the DNC – although Democrats narrowed the gap.
Raising more money does not necessarily translate into Election Day victory, but a big bank account helps U.S. parties support their candidates’ campaigns and pays for ads and polling.
Democrats have narrow majorities in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, and losing control of either in the November 2022 contests would be a blow to Democratic President Joe Biden’s agenda.
Soros, a famed investor and a bogeyman of conservatives due to his status as a major donor for liberal causes, gave the DNC at least $250,000 in July.
Yes Republicans Are Racists
Their policies and programs result in cutting benefits for blacks and increasing benefits for whites – since due to discrimination blacks have a higher proportion getting assistance, and represent a smaller proportion of defense contractors. Their policies against Affirmative Action directly impact blacks, yet the Republicans have no policy against ending discrimination against blacks. You will never see Sarah Palin give a speech on the struggle of black Americans. You will never see a Tea Party representative give a speech about racial segregation in our society. The Tea Party Republicans think blacks have on average lower income and status in society not because of racism but because blacks ‘choose’ these lifestyles. Thus, their explanation of differences in racial incomes is based on race itself. By definition, most are in fact racist
Investor Timothy Mellon Gave $10 Million Mostly To Republicans
Total donations: $10,061,000
Party Affiliation: Republican
Net worth: $1 billion
Timothy Mellon, the grandson of twentieth-century business magnate Andrew Mellon, funded the founding of New Hampshire-based railroad company, Guilford Transportation Industries, according to Forbes.
While most of Mellon’s donations were to conservatives, Mellon also gave $2,700 to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, according to The Guardian.
Billionaires Backed Republicans Who Sought To Reverse Us Election Results
Guardian analysis shows Club for Growth has spent $20m supporting 42 rightwing lawmakers who voted to invalidate Biden victory
An anti-tax group funded primarily by billionaires has emerged as one of the biggest backers of the Republican lawmakers who sought to overturn the US election results, according to an analysis by the Guardian.
The Club for Growth has supported the campaigns of 42 of the rightwing Republicans senators and members of the House of Representatives who voted last week to challenge US election results, doling out an estimated $20m to directly and indirectly support their campaigns in 2018 and 2020, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.
About 30 of the Republican hardliners received more than $100,000 in indirect and direct support from the group.
The Club for Growths biggest beneficiaries include Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, the two Republican senators who led the effort to invalidate Joe Bidens electoral victory, and the newly elected far-right gun-rights activist Lauren Boebert, a QAnon conspiracy theorist. Boebert was criticised last week for tweeting about the House speaker Nancy Pelosis location during the attack on the Capitol, even after lawmakers were told not to do so by police.
Heres the thing about the hyper wealthy. They believe that their hyper-wealth grants them the ability to not be accountable
Neither the Club for Growth nor McIntosh responded to requests for comment.
James And Marilyn Simons
Amount donated: $20.1 million
The couple has supported some of the biggest outside groups in Democratic politics during the midterms.
James Simons, for instance, donated $10 million to a single group, the House Majority PAC, which worked to help the party win control of the chamber in 2018. Hes an MIT-educated mathematician, who founded Renaissance Technologies, a New York hedge fund.
Simons worth more than $21 billion, according to Forbes stepped away from day-to-day management of the fund in 2009. Their aides did not respond to interview requests.
Are America’s Richest Families Republicans Or Democrats
Forbes took at look at the 50 richest clans on our new list of Americas Richest Families. There are a handful of politicians in the mix, and an overwhelming majority that support one political party far more than another.
Some of Americas wealthiest families wear their politics on their sleeves. Charles and David Koch, notorious for their support of right-wing causes, donated more than $2.2 million during the 2012 election, nearly all to Republican candidates. Jon and Patricia
Other members of rich clans have stepped into the political fray themselves. Penny Pritkzer, part of the family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain, became President Obamas Commerce Secretary in June 2013. Mark Dayton, an heir to the Dayton family fortune is a Democrat and the current governor of Minnesota. Pete du Pont, descendant of the founder of chemical giant DuPont, was a Republican governor of Delaware from 1977 to 1985 and ran for president in 1988. Dolph Briscoe, Jr., member of the Briscoe ranching family, was a Democrat and governor of Texas from 1973 to 1979. Ross Perot, Sr., is famous for his two impressive but unsuccessful presidential runs as an Independent. He and his son have donated to both parties, but they lean Republican.
Infographic: David Lada
One caveat: Some of these family fortunes are shared among dozens or even hundreds of people, so we were only able to track political donations of a subset of prominent members.
1. Walton Republican
James And Marilyn Simons Gave $22 Million To Democrats
Total donations: $22,165,010
Net worth: $21.6 billion
James Simons, the founder of quantitative hedge fund Renaissance Technologies, was named the highest-paid hedge fund manager of 2019 by Forbes. James and his wife, economist and philanthropist Marilyn Simons, are also major donors to Stony Brook University, where they met, according to Bloomberg.
Bezos Buffett Branson: What Do Americans Think Of Billionaires
With three billionaires featuring prominently in the news recently for their space race antics, the latest Economist/YouGov poll examines how popular a collection of the worlds richest people is among the U.S. public.
The men who are attempting private space expeditions may be doing something that most Americans support, though they are not especially liked as individuals. Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and owner of space firm Blue Origin, receives favorable reviews from only 28% of people, compared to 50% who view him critically.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is divisive, with 39% approving of him but 38% disapproving. Musk receives much more positive judgments from Republicans than Democrats .
British billionaire Richard Branson, owner of the Virgin conglomerate including Virgin Galactic whose spacecraft took him to orbit last week is seen as more popular than not , although perhaps because more Americans have not heard of him .
Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg is the most negatively viewed of all the billionaires we asked about. This is particularly the case among Republicans, 69% of whom dislike him, although half of Democrats also dislike the social media CEO .
Related: Americans support sending astronauts to the moon and Mars
Image: Getty
Not A Generalization But The Majority Of Racists Are Republican
OK, as current proof of my point, http://img3.allvoices.com/thumbs/image/609/480/95031869-vote-romney.jpgSorry for the long link, but it completely proves my point. RACIST!Also, it is not uncommon for people to hold up highly offensive posters at rallies, speeches etc. For example, one said ‘Impeach the half-breed Muslim’ . Tell me again that that isn’t racist. I also want to make the point that NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS! PEOPLE SHOULDN”T CARE IF THEIR PRESIDENT IS MUSLIM ANYWAYS!!!!!!!!! I actually know many Muslims and they are awesome and some of the nicest people on earth . Just because some Muslims screwed up doesn’t mean that every Muslim is the same way. Don’t pull the argument about slavery, the parties have morphed and current examples are better.
Congress: More Democrat Millionaires Than Republican And Here’s Why
In a report from AllGov.com, we learn that for the first time more than half of all members of Congress are millionaires. But whats really interesting about the story is that it tells us there are more Democrats than Republicans in Congress who are millionaires.
That is not surprising to some of us, but it might be to a lot of people who have bought the Democrat/lamestream media narrative that Republicans are the party of the rich.
Let me tell you why this really is.
First, lets understand there is nothing wrong with being a millionaire, or a billionaire for that matter. Contrary to what the rhetoric of the Democratic Party suggests, the vast majority of rich people have earned their fortunes by working hard and accomplishing things that have benefited others. That includes those who have made their money by investing, because they have put their capital at risk to help finance businesses that create jobs and produce goods and services people want and need.
Having said that, how can it be that there are more Democrat millionaires than Republican millionaires when everyone knows the conventional wisdom that Democrats are the party of the working man and Republicans are the party of the rich?
Because thats a load of crap, thats how.
People who pursue business careers and later decide to run for Congress often do so because they see what a big problem the meddling of government is for the business community. And as you might expect, they run as Republicans.
There Is A Lot Of Flawed Logic Here
Anyone who equates conservative or Republican with racist is the exact thing they are projecting on others. Plain and simple.Racism is simply the lumping together of large groups of people and claiming they all have the same traits. Anyone who says that all conservatives are racist is exactly the same. The most racist people I have ever met have been liberals. But that doesn’t mean I think all liberals are racists. That’s absurd. But you continue on making generalizations about people you don’t even know. That just shows how tolerant and open-minded you really are.
These Democratic Billionaires Could Help Shape The 2020 Election
A small cluster of Democrats, led by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, donated a combined $226 million to outside groups in the 2018 midterms for Congress, or nearly $1 out of every $5 spent by outside groups in those elections.
The spending helped Democrats win back the House. Now, some of these mega-donors including the billionaire pro-impeachment activist Tom Steyer are poised to help shape the 2020 races for the presidency and Congress.
Heres a glance at the Democrats five biggest donors and the amounts they donated to outside groups at the federal level in the 2018 election cycle, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics:
How Americans Feel About Billionaires During The Pandemic
The pandemic has exacerbated wealth inequality, and many Americans are resentful of the fact that while they struggled, the wealthy made significant gains.
This unease is reflected in questions that speak to Americans more generalized opinions about the top 1 percent, which were generally shared across the political spectrum. Only 23 percent of those polled said they consider billionaires to be good role models for the country, while 65 percent said they dont.
Similarly, only 36 percent said they had generally positive feelings about billionaires, as opposed to 49 percent who said they did not. Black Americans said they had much more positive feelings about billionaires than did members of other racial subgroups: 45 percent said they felt positively, while only 39 percent said they felt negatively. Democrats were also more likely to be anti-billionaire than Republicans.
And yet Americans are broadly dismissive of some progressive rhetoric about something being fundamentally wrong with a society that features billionaires. Around 82 percent say they agree with the statement that people should be allowed to become billionaires similarly, 68 percent say they disagree that its immoral for a society to allow people to become billionaires.
Former Breitbart News Investor Robert Mercer And His Wife Diana Have Given $6544024 To Conservatives
Total donations: $6,544,024
Party: Republican
Net worth: Unknown
Robert Mercer, 73, is the former co-CEO of Renaissance Technologies, a hedge fund valued at $50 million in 2017, according to The New York Times. Mercer left the hedge fund in 2017 after clients, including the retirement fund for Baltimore’s police and firefighters, withdrew their investments from Renaissance over concern about Mercer’s political donations and involvement with Breitbart, The Times reported.
The $6.5 million that Robert and his wife Diana donated to Republicans in 2018 was the smallest figure they’ve given in any election cycle since 2012, CNBC reported. The couple, once among President Trump’s biggest supporters, have become fatigued by the resulting media attention, sources told CNBC.
The Philosophy Behind Republican Economic Policy
Republicans advocate supply-side economics that primarily benefits businesses and investors. This theory states that tax cuts on businesses allow them to hire more workers, in turn increasing demand and growth. In theory, the increased revenue from a stronger economy offsets the initial revenue loss over time.
Republicans advocate the right to pursue prosperity without government interference. They argue this is achieved by self-discipline, enterprise, saving, and investing.
Republicans business-friendly approach leads most people to believe that they are better for the economy. A closer look reveals that Democrats are, in many respects, actually better.
Jeff And Mackenzie Bezos $102 Million
The founder of Amazon and his wife, MacKenzie, made their first major political donation this September to a nonpartisan fund dedicated to helping elect veterans of all stripes to Congress. They have since tried to toe the middle road, handing $10,800 to Democrats and $16,200 to Republicans this cycle. Their top individual recipients have been Sen. Maria Cantwell and Sen. Cory Gardner .
Bezos, the worlds richest person, has faced criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. Trump has attacked him via Twitter over his ownership of the Washington Post; Sen. Bernie Sanders criticized him over the wages he pays his Amazon warehouse employees.
The Bezoses other top financial contributions this cycle have been to nonpartisan political action committees connected with Amazon and Blue Origin, his rocket company.
Richard And Elizabeth Uihlein $391 Million
Richard Uihlein is founder and CEO of shipping supply giant Uline. The Uihleins have been longtime donors to conservative politics in their home state of Illinois and nationwide, particularly aimed at achieving a more conservative judicial system.
The couple were major backers of Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and failed U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, and they bankrolled Janus vs. AFSCME, a Supreme Court case that succeeded in banning mandatory fees funding public employee unions.
The candidates and groups the Uihleins have backed are among the most conservative in the GOP, opposing abortion and transgender rights.
Uihlein and his wife maintain a low profile, rarely giving interviews.
The Nations Wealthiest Are More Likely To Be Republican Than The Average Americanbut Just About As Likely To Be Voting For Biden
How are Americas billionaires voting in the 2020 presidential election?
If you think theyre all coming out in support of their fellow Forbes 400 member, Donald Trump, youd be wrong. Over the past month Forbes sent every billionaire in the U.S. a brief election survey. We got 42 responses, from billionaires spanning the political spectrum.
The biggest takeaway: These billionaires are more likely to be Republican than the average Americanbut just about as likely to be voting for Joe Biden.
A recent Gallup poll shows that 28% of Americans identify as Republicans, 27% identify as Democrats and 42% identify as independents. Our billionaire cohort skewed farther right: 43% Republicans, 24% Democrats and 33% independents. Yet theyre swaying blue. Nearly half, or 48%, say theyre casting a ballot for Biden, compared to 40% for Trump. That tracks with the larger population, which favors Biden to Trump 51-42, according to RealClearPolitics RCP Poll Average. It also tracks with Federal Election Commission data, which shows more billionaires opening their wallets to support Biden than Trump.
Nearly as important as their votes is the billionaires money. Twenty-six billionaires say theyve donated money to a campaign this year, 26 also say theyve given to a political action committee, ten say theyve attended a fundraiser and four say theyve hosted a fundraiser themselves. Only seven of the 42 respondents say they havent done anything to support a candidate this year.
For The First Time Half Of Members Of Congress Are Millionairesdemocrats Worth More Than Republicans
Members of Congress continued to get richer last year, resulting in more than 50% of lawmakers possessing a net worth of $1 million or moresomething thats never happened before in congressional history.
Of 534 current members of Congress, at least 268 were millionaires, according the Center for Responsive Politics review of financial disclosure reports filed last year.
The median net worth for the 530 lawmakers who were in Congress as of the May 2013 filing deadline was $1,008,767up from $966,000 during the previous year.
The center also found that Democrats overall were a little wealthier than Republicans in Congress, $1.04 million versus $1 million. Both groups saw their collective net worth go up, from $990,000 for Democrats and $907,000 for Republicans in the previous year.
Democrats in the House were richer than their GOP counterparts, $929,000 versus $884,000. House Republicans, however, could boast having the richest member: Darrell Issa of California, who has had this distinction in other years. The Viper car-alarm magnate has a net worth of $464 million.
In the Senate, the GOP caucus was noticeably wealthier than the Democratic caucus, $2.9 million versus $1.7 million.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
S Donald Sussman $229 Million
A Florida native, Sussman founded New China Capital Management and the Paloma Fund, which was described in 2016 as a $4-billion hedge fund.
Sussman is a longtime donor to Bill and Hillary Clinton and was a prominent donor to Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign. This cycle, his biggest contributions have gone to Democratic behemoth Priorities USA PAC and the Senate Majority PAC, which is working to flip control of the Senate. He has also given to efforts to expand voter access and has said he is driven by a desire to elect candidates who will bring about campaign finance reform.
Its very odd to be giving millions when your objective is to actually get the money out of politics, he told the Washington Post in 2016.
