Money and Politics - Top 10 Donors

Cogport showed the organizational sources of money going into the Political parties in the previous report.  The Total was over $ 7.4 Billion spent in 2020 election year alone.

Now we want to know by name who is behind this “giving.”  

Following is the estimated information on the Top 10  “Givers” to each Party:

As of the 2024 election cycle, the top donors to the Democratic Party include these high-profile individuals:

1. George Soros - Approximately $125 million.

2. Michael Bloomberg - Around $58 million.

3. Donald Sussman - About $39 million.

4. Reid Hoffman - Roughly $36 million.

5. Jim Simons - Estimated $30 million.

6. Karla Jurvetson - About $20 million.

7. S. Donald Sussman - Around $17 million.

8. Fred Eychaner - Approximately $15 million.

9. Jeffrey Katzenberg - Roughly $14 million.

10. Laurene Powell Jobs - Around $10 million.

Total Top 10 Democrat Donors:   $364 Million

Number 1 for Democrats is George Soros.  He is a Hungarian-American billionaire investor, philanthropist, and political activist.  Soros is an outspoken advocate for progressive and liberal causes, particularly in the U.S. and Europe. He has been a strong supporter of Democratic Party candidates.  One of the wealthiest people in the world, he has a net worth estimated at over $8 billion, although he has given away much of his fortune estimated at $32 Billion over the years.  That is a lot of influence.

As of the 2024 election cycle, the top donors to the Republican Party include these high-profile individuals:

1. Jeffrey Yass – $70 million, primarily to conservative super PACs​

2. Ken Griffin – Around $50 million, supporting various Republican causes.

3. Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein – $35 million, consistently supporting GOP candidates.

4. Timothy Mellon – $40 million, significant backing of super PACs aligned with Republicans.

5. Larry Ellison – $30 million, with contributions to GOP candidates and super PACs.

6. Ronald Lauder – $25 million to Republican-aligned super PACs.

7. Paul Singer – $20 million, funding GOP candidates through super PACs.

8. Peter Thiel – $15 million, focusing on libertarian and conservative causes.

9. Steve Wynn – $13 million, supporting key GOP figures.

10. Joe Ricketts – $12 million, focusing on conservative PACs.

Total Top 10 Republican Donors:   $ 240 Million

Number 1 for Republicans is Jeffrey Yass.  He is a prominent American businessman, investor, and one of the co-founders of Susquehanna International Group (SIG), one of the largest and most successful financial trading firms in the world.

Commentary

Combining the Party Totals above is $ 604 Million.   

That is a tremendous amount of influence from Twenty People.   So, this is big money funneling into political policies.

It is interesting to note that Democrats collected 52% more than Republicans from their Top 10 Givers. 

Does this mean that Democrats are “more responsive” to money influence ?

This practice of large donations is caustic to the Democratic Principles on which the U.S. was founded.

Next reports will focus on examples of influence resulting in the squander of taxpayer dollars by the Federal Government.  Cogport will then follow up with recommendations for change.

David Hollaender           September 4, 2024

Cogport.com