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Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson at the 2016 Republican National Convention. (Ricky Carioti / The Washington Post)
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
National business and responsibility company reporter covering money and influence in politics
October 26 at 13:32
In the last eight years, only 11 donors have poured $ 1 billion into US political races through super PAC, the big financial entities that have given rich contributors a powerful way to influence the elections.
Donors – a bipartisan collection of billionaires from hedge funds, entrepreneurs, media moguls and a casino mogul – have together donated over a fifth of the $ 4.5 billion collected by these types of investment committees. political action since their creation in 2010, according to a Washington report. Subsequent badysis of data from the Federal Election Commission and the Center for Responsive Politics, non-partisan center.
The list of the top 11 super-PAC donors includes five Republicans, five Democrats and the former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who had previously declared himself a political independence and who registered this month as a democrat.
The intense concentration of money shows how a select group of super-rich rallied to these political groups, which have become indispensable allies of candidates and political parties since the Supreme Court. "landmark Citizens United decision in 2010. This decision has contributed to the creation of super PACs, which are allowed to collect and spend unlimited amounts of money on political activities.
Huge sums from a small number of donors illustrate how candidates and parties now depend on billionaires to support their efforts – and demonstrate the successful circumvention of efforts to reduce the large sums of money that followed the scandals of Fundraising of Watergate and the 1996 Democratic National Committee.
"The big donor is not just a donor who gives to politicians and parties," said Robert E. Mutch, historian of campaign finance. "The big donor has become a political actor in its own right."
Many of the top 11 super-PAC donors since 2010 are now well-known protagonists in US politics. The founder of the Billionaire hedge fund, George Soros (No. 10), was part of a dozen critics of President Trump targeted by explosive devices this week. And Bloomberg (No. 3) and the founder of democratic hedge fund Tom Steyer (No. 2) are seen as positioning themselves for possible presidential elections.
The bulk of the money continued to skyrocket in mid-term this year, even with an increase in modest donations. In some races, huge contributions from the super-PAC encourage candidates who praise their popular support. For example, Katie Hill, first Democratic candidate in the 25th Congressional District of California and one of the most successful fundraisers in this election, also receives $ 4.5 million in ads in the last part of the campaign, thanks to Independence USA, Bloomberg super PAC.
[Meet the wealthy donors pouring millions into the 2018 elections]
The biggest contributors to the Super PAC are the casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and the doctor Miriam Adelson, the married couple who donated $ 287 million to super conservative PAC, according to the records.
In the 2016 elections, the Adelsons paid out nearly $ 78 million, including $ 20 million to support Donald Trump, the then GOP nominee, who, as president, had backed the action that the couple had been looking for a long time – moving the US Embbady to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
During this cycle, the Adelsons donated $ 112 million to the Super PACs, largely to groups working to help the GOP retain control of the Congress.
A representative of the Adelsons did not respond to a request for comment.
Steyer, who gave $ 213.8 million, is in second place behind Adelsons. He is followed by Bloomberg (120.7 million dollars), the head of democratic media Fred Eychaner (74.1 million dollars), the head of democratic hedge funds Donald Sussman (62.9 million dollars), the Republican magnate suppliers of shipping supplies, $ 61 million, the Democratic founder of hedge funds, James Simons and his wife, Marilyn ($ 57.9 million), the Republican executive of hedge funds, Paul Singer ($ 42.5 million), the Republican executive of hedge funds, Robert Mercer (41.2 million), Soros (39.4 million) and the Republican and founder of TD Ameritrade, J. Joe Ricketts (38 , $ 4 million).
Their total could be considerably more. While donors to super PACs are disclosed, public deposits do not reflect contributions to politically active non-profit groups that are not required to reveal their donors.
The founder of hedge funds, Tom Steyer, at an event held in March in Largo, Maryland. Although he is one of Decmocratic's major donors for the super-PAC, he calls the rise of big money into "corrosive and corrupt" politics (Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post )
Super PACs are prohibited from coordinating with party campaigns and committees. But they often act in a parallel way and, at each election, these groups have found ways to work even more closely with the candidates they support. In 2016, the super PACs of presidential candidates ran their own advertising campaigns, research activities, polls and turnout for their favorite candidates.
"The super PACs took over a lot of the campaign functions we expected from candidates," said David Magleby, professor of political science at Brigham Young University, who studies super PACs. "They play a very important role in virtually every aspect of American democracy."
Critics say that super PACs allow wealthy donors to have a disproportionate influence on politics.
"One thing is clear: Super PACs are a rich man's game," said Meredith McGehee, executive director of Issue One, a non-partisan group that seeks to reduce the influence of large sums of money on politics. "They try to influence because they believe that the party they support is either in ideological agreement with the donor, or because they have commercial interests or other interests that they feel will please to these groups of candidates. "
David Keating, an opponent of campaign funding restrictions who helped bring a case, SpeechNow.org v. FEC, which led to the creation of super PAC, said these groups helped political donors to exercise their right to freedom of speech.
"Rich people also have the rights of the first amendment," Keating said.
[Democratic candidates in competitive Senate, House races see infusion of cash in final stretch of midterms]
Steven Law, chairman of the Senate Leadership Fund, who is aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) And who has received big checks from Adelsons, said he could not speculate on what motivates the donors.
But Law said the recent Supreme Court confirmation battle over Brett M. Kavanaugh "has highlighted for our donors the importance of the Supreme Court and the efforts the Democrats could make to block all future appointments." they control the Senate ".
After first avoiding the super PAC when they came on the scene in 2010, the Democrats have since embraced them enthusiastically.
In an interview, Steyer said that he was in agreement with critics of Citizens United and said that the rise of large sums of money in politics is "corrosive and corrupt and has led us to a terrible place.
He said he considered his contributions to super-PACs – more than $ 50 million during this cycle, largely for the two super PACs he had created – as a way to fight fires.
"If you look and see where the bulk of our money has been spent, it is to try to organize and engage people in the political process in the country," Steyer said.
Bloomberg – which has spent more than $ 58 million to support the Democrats during this round, a figure that could rise to $ 100 million – is working for "a change of course in Washington," according to a spokesman.
Many of the major left-wing super-PAC donors have injected their funds into major party-aligned super-PACs – Priorities USA Action, Senate majority PACs, and House majority PACs.
House Majority PAC spokesman Jeb Fain said the group was "proud to have strong and ongoing support" from its donors. Their contributions helped the group launch a flood of announcements and "fill in the spending gap by working with our allies to ensure spending equivalent to the Democratic budget or beyond the Republicans in critical races that we must win to overthrow the House, "he said.
Democratic strategists said that it was necessary to accept significant donations to fight against the right money – especially the resources of the Koch network, a well-established constellation of organizations and organizations. backers, such as billionaires Charles and David Koch, incomparable on the left. (David Koch retired from business and politics in June as health declined.)
"Since 2010, Democrats have scratched and scratched to compete with the world's Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson and Richard Uihleins, who have dedicated hundreds of millions of dollars to Republican election efforts," said JB Poersch, chairman of the Senate majority, PAC. "Donors give the PAC to Senate majority because they know we are giving them the best opportunity to cancel the Koch brothers and elect the Democrats in the Senate."
Anu Narayanswamy contributed to this report.
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