Who are the millionaires bankrolling the 2016 presidential race?
Who are the millionaires bankrolling the 2016 presidential race?
By DAVID LAUTER, MALOY MOORE, LILY MIHALIK, ANTHONY PESCE AND BEN WELSH
SEPT. 30, 2015
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For three decades, federal laws restrained how much money rich people could pour into presidential campaigns. No more.
Because of a series of court decisions, the limits have effectively disappeared, and this election is the first to see the full effect.
Wealthy individuals — many of whom are executives in the financial services, energy, technology and entertainment industries — have given millions to the super PACs supporting candidates.
So far the names of 86 donors of $500,000 or more have been revealed in campaign disclosure forms. Here’s a look at who they are.
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Jeb Bush
As the son and brother of former presidents, the former Florida governor has an unrivaled, deep network of Republican donors, many from his own state, but also from Texas, California and New York.
Miguel Fernandez FLA.
$3.0 million
Chairman of MBF Healthcare Partners, a private equity firm that invests in healthcare companies.
William Oberndorf CALIF.
$1.5 million
Owner of a financial services firm who sits on the board of Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education.
Helen Schwab CALIF.
$1.5 million
Wife of Charles Schwab, the founder of brokerage firm Charles Schwab.
Nancy Kinder TEXAS
$1.0 million
Philanthropist and wife of energy magnate Richard Kinder.
Richard Kinder TEXAS
$1.0 million
Executive chairman of Kinder Morgan, an energy and pipeline company.
See 32 more
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Hillary Rodham Clinton
The biggest donors to the former secretary of State include several with ties to California’s entertainment industry as well as longtime liberal stalwarts.
Barbara Lee MASS.
$1.1 million
Founder of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, which aims to advance women's representation in politics.
George Soros N.Y.
$1.0 million
Chairman of an investment management firm and philanthropist.
Jeffrey Katzenberg CALIF.
$1.0 million
CEO of DreamWorks Animation.
Stephen Silberstein CALIF.
$1.0 million
Co-founder of Innovative Interfaces, which develops automated systems for libraries.
Cheryl Saban CALIF.
$1.0 million
Philanthropist and wife of Haim Saban.
See 10 more
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Ted Cruz
The conservative Texas senator has drawn his biggest backers from the oil and gas industry in his home state and from hedge funds on Wall Street.
Robert Mercer N.Y.
$11.0 million
Co-CEO of Renaissance Technologies, a hedge fund.
Toby Neugebauer PUERTO RICO
$10.0 million
Co-founder of Quantum Energy Partners, an energy-focused private equity firm, and son of Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas).
Farris Wilks TEXAS
$5.0 million
Co-founder of Frac Tech, an oil fracking company, and husband of Jo Ann Wilks.
Jo Ann Wilks TEXAS
$5.0 million
Wife of Farris Wilks.
Dan Wilks TEXAS
$2.5 million
Co-founder of Frac Tech, an oil fracking company, and husband of Staci Wilks.
See 2 more
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Marco Rubio
The Florida senator’s biggest donor is a longtime benefactor, but he has also gotten major contributions from a technology billionaire.
Norman Braman FLA.
$5.0 million
Owner of Florida car dealerships and former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Larry Ellison CALIF.
$3.0 million
Co-founder of Oracle Corp.
Laura Perlmutter FLA.
$2.0 million
Wife of Isaac Perlmutter, the CEO of Marvel Entertainment.
James Rubright GA.
$0.5 million
Lead director of the board of directors of AGL Resources, a natural gas company.
Larry De George FLA.
$0.5 million
Former CEO of LPL Financial.
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Chris Christie
As the governor of New Jersey, he has tapped into the financial industry based across the Hudson River in New York City.
Alexandra Cohen CONN.
$1.0 million
Philanthropist and wife of Steven Cohen.
Steven Cohen CONN.
$1.0 million
CEO of hedge fund Point72 Asset Management and husband of Alexandra Cohen.
Dan Gilbert MICH.
$0.8 million
Chairman of Quicken Loans and majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Roberto Mignone N.Y.
$0.5 million
Founder of hedge fund Bridger Management.
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Rand Paul
The senator from Kentucky has gotten major donations from wealthy individuals who also give heavily to libertarian causes.
Jeffrey Yass PA.
$2.3 million
Co-founder of investment firm Susquehanna International Group.
Scott Banister CALIF.
$1.3 million
Angel investor and co-founder of computer security company IronPort.
George Macricostas NEV.
$1.1 million
Founder of data center company RagingWire.
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Lindsey Graham
The long-shot campaign of the South Carolina senator hasn’t attracted a lot of big donors of his own; his biggest backers have also given large contributions to other candidates.
Bob McNair TEXAS
$0.5 million
CEO of a Texas financial and real estate firm, founder of an energy company and owner of the Houston Texans.
Ronald Perelman N.Y.
$0.5 million
Businessman with investments in television, banks, groceries and more.
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Mike Huckabee
The lion’s share of the former Arkansas governor’s money comes from a single donor – the owner of one of his state’s biggest poultry companies who has given heavily to conservative causes.
Ron Cameron ARK.
$3.0 million
Owner of Mountaire Corp., which sells feed and chicken products.
Sharon Herschend MO.
$0.5 million
Member of the Herschend family, which owns a theme park company.
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Carly Fiorina
After strong performances in two debates gave her a boost in polls, the former Hewlett-Packard executive hopes to gain big-money donors to match her new prominence.
A. Jerrold Perenchio CALIF.
$1.6 million
Former chairman of Spanish broadcasting network Univision.
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Bobby Jindal
The Louisiana governor’s campaign hasn’t taken off and hasn’t attracted a lot of big-money donations.
Gary Chouest LA.
$1.0 million
President of Edison Chouest Offshore, a marine transportation company.
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Donald Trump
The New York real estate billionaire has said he doesn’t need other people’s money and has accused rivals of being beholden to their donors.
Donald Trump N.Y.
$1.0 million
Real estate developer, television personality and presidential candidate.
Illustration: David Horsey
Credits: Sahil Chinoy and Erin Rode
Footnote: The totals on this page include contributions to super PACs supporting candidates from Jan. 1 through the most recent Federal Election Commission filing cycle ending June 30.
Sources: Federal Election Commission, Times research
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