See How Much Money Warren Buffett, Dana White and 35 Other CEOs Are Pouring Into the Election
The November election could prove to be one of the most controversial ever when it comes to the American presidency. President Donald Trump is already sounding off that the election is ripe for fraud, with him questioning the reliability of mail-in ballots. Worth noting is that on a national basis, Trump trails in the polls a week before Election Day. In the event trends continue and Democratic nominee Joe Biden wins the election, Trump is setting the stage to contest his defeat, unless the results are resounding.
In this environment, many noted CEOs and other wealthy corporate executives are supporting candidates and causes with significant amounts of money. To unearth the identities of the biggest donors, GOBankingRates analyzed data from the Federal Election Commission to tally up the amounts donated by prominent corporate figures to various political causes. Results have been presented in reverse order, with the largest donor revealed last.
Both Republicans and Democrats are represented on the list, which includes prominent names such as Warren Buffett, Dana White, George Soros and Michael Bloomberg. The top donor? A CEO who has given more than $52 million to his chosen candidates and causes. See which company leaders are giving the most.
Warren Buffett
Position: Chairman and CEO
Company Name: Berkshire Hathaway
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $254,100
Donated to: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Insights: Though Warren Buffett is one of the most well-known CEOs on this list, he donated the smallest amount to the election, with just over $250,000 going to the DCCC. Buffett’s company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns numerous brands such as Fruit of the Loom, GEICO, Dairy Queen and Duracell.
Meg Whitman
Position: CEO
Company Name: Quibi
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $518,200
Donated to: Biden Victory Fund
Insights: Meg Whitman is the billionaire CEO of Quibi, but she perhaps is best known for her work as the CEO of eBay (1998 to 2008) and Hewlett-Packard (2011 to 2015). Whitman has thrown some of her plentiful capital in the Democrats? direction, contributing just over half a million dollars to the Biden Victory Fund.
Joe Kiani
Position: CEO
Company Name: Masimo Corp.
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $572,600
Donated to: Biden Victory Fund, American Bridge 21st Century PAC
Insights: Joe Kiani is the founder, chairman and CEO of Masimo Corp., a global medical technology company. Kiani favors left-leaning candidates, contributing nearly $600,000 to the Biden Victory Fund and the liberal AB PAC.
Jeff Lawson
Position: CEO
Company Name: Twilio, Inc.
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $632,360
Donated to: Biden Victory Fund
Insights: In addition to being the CEO, Jeff Lawson is the co-founder of cloud communications platform Twilio, which adds video, messaging and voice to mobile and web apps. He’s also an active supporter of Democratic causes, contributing more than $600,000 to the Biden Victory Fund.
Stephen Rosenberg
Position: Founder and CEO
Company Name: Greystone & Co.
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $721,200
Donated to: Trump Victory, RNC
Insights: Stephen Rosenberg is another prominent Trump supporter as the two have rubbed elbows in the domestic real estate space. Rosenberg’s company, Greystone & Co., provides various real estate services throughout the United States.
James Dolan
Position: Chairman and owner
Company Name: MSG, New York Knicks
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $724,000
Donated to: Trump Victory, Republican National Committee
Insights: James Dolan is the first major Republican donor on the list, kicking in nearly $750,000 to the Trump Victory fund and the RNC. He’s also the owner of trophy properties that include Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks.
Barry Diller
Position: CEO
Company Name: IAC
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $760,720
Donated to: Biden Victory Fund and others
Insights: Barry Diller is one of the more well-known CEOs on the list. In addition to manning internet and media giant IAC, he’s the chairman of travel provider Expedia. Previously, Diller was an entertainment-industry executive, helping to launch such beloved shows as “Cheers” and “The Simpsons.”
Joseph W. Craft
Position: President and CEO
Company Name: Alliance Resource Partners
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $892,267
Donated to: Trump Victory, RNC
Insights: Joseph W. Craft leads a company that produces coal, so it’s perhaps understandable that he’s a Republican contributor. He’s pumped almost $900,000 into the coffers of the Trump Victory fund and the RNC.
Mark Pincus
Position: Chairman of the Board and founder
Company Name: Zynga
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $949,872
Donated to: Biden Victory Fund, Senate Majority PAC
Insights: The co-founder of online gaming company Zynga is a blue supporter, contributing nearly $1 million to left-leaning causes such as the Senate Majority PAC, or SMP. Zynga is the parent company to such popular games as Farmville, Mafia Wars and Words With Friends.
Chris Sacca
Position: Founder
Company Name: Lowercase Capital
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $1 million
Donated to: Biden Victory Fund, Fair Fight
Insights: Chris Sacca used his investment firm Lowercase Capital to make prescient early bets into such companies as Twilio, Uber and Twitter, helping to turn himself into a billionaire. He’s an outspoken opponent of President Trump and has contributed more than $900,000 to Joe Biden and to Fair Fight, a voter advocacy group.
Dana White
Position: Founder and CEO
Company Name: UFC
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $1.01 million
Donated to: America First Action, Inc.
Insights: The founder and CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship reportedly fled Boston for Las Vegas after incurring a $2,500 debt to notorious gangster Whitey Bulger. In his new home city, he launched a career managing fighters.
James G. Slaughter
Position: Chairman of the Board, CEO emeritus
Company Name: S&B Engineers and Constructors
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $1.06 million
Donated to: Trump Victory, RNC
Insights: S&B Engineers and Constructors operates mining, oil and gas, and construction businesses based in Houston. The chairman of the board, James G. Slaughter, is a Republican booster ? to the tune of more than $1 million in 2019-20.
Barrett Toan
Position: Chairman
Company Name: Sigma-Aldrich Corp.
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $1.1 million
Donated to: Biden Victory Fund, SMP, DCCC
Insights: Sigma-Aldrich Corp. is a life sciences and biotechnology company. Its chairman, Barrett Toan, is a prominent Democratic donor, sending more than $1 million over the past year to Joe Biden and various Democratic organizations.
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J. Joe Ricketts
Position: Founder
Company Name: TD Ameritrade
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $1.32 million
Donated to: Trump Victory, RNC
Insights: J. Joe Ricketts founded online brokerage Ameritrade in the 1970s and, after the acquisition of TD Waterhouse, ultimately ended up as the chairman of the combined entity TD Ameritrade. He remains the largest single shareholder with a 7% stake. He’s also an investor in High Plains Bison and Jackson Fork Lodge in Wyoming. He’s used some of his great wealth to support President Trump and other Republican causes.
Isaac Perlmutter
Position: Chairman
Company Name: Marvel Entertainment
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $1.33 million
Donated to: Trump Victory, RNC
Insights: It’s hard to imagine red-hot Marvel Entertainment being a bankrupt company, but it was exactly that in 1998 when Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter took control of the business. He sold much of his stock in 2009 for a whopping $4 billion. In addition to contributing more than $50 million to cancer research, he has sent in excess of $1.3 million to Donald Trump and the RNC over the past year.
Dustin Moskovitz
Position: Co-founder
Company Name: Facebook
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $1.6 million
Donated to: Biden Victory Fund, Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund, Democratic National Committee
Insights: Dustin Moskovitz is one of the founders of Facebook and enjoys a net worth in the neighborhood of $16 billion. He’s used some of his vast wealth to support Democratic candidates and causes in addition to a wide variety of philanthropic endeavors.
Laurene Powell Jobs
Position: Founder and president
Company Name: Emerson Collective
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $1.62 million
Donated to: Biden Victory Fund, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Insights: Laurene Powell Jobs inherited much of her wealth from her late husband, Steve Jobs, the legendary co-founder of Apple. She’s put her money to good use, launching the Emerson Collective Foundation with a $1.2 billion donation. She also owns a portion of the NHL’s Washington Capitals and the NBA’s Washington Wizards.
H. Ross Perot Jr.
Position: Chairman
Company Name: The Perot Group, Hillwood
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $1.71 million
Donated to: National Republican Senatorial Committee, Trump Victory
Insights: Ross Perot Jr. is the son of former presidential candidate H. Ross Perot. Perot Jr. borrowed money from his father to help fund his real estate empire. His company, Hillwood, develops industrial, commercial and residential real estate. Perot Jr. is a supporter of the Trump Victory campaign and other Republican causes, contributing more than $1.7 million over the past year.
Andrew Hauptman
Position: Chairman
Company Name: Andell Inc.
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $2.33 million
Donated to: Biden Victory Fund, SMP, DCCC
Insights: Andrew Hauptman’s Andell Inc. is an investment management firm based in the Los Angeles area. Hauptman, the company chairman, is a prominent Democratic supporter, with $2 million-plus contributed over the 2019-20 period.
August A. Busch III
Position: Former chairman
Company Name: Anheuser-Busch
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $2.82 million
Donated to: Trump Victory, Take Back the House 2020
Insights: August A. Busch III is part of a long line of Busch family beer makers. Patriarch Adolphus Busch brewed the first batch of Budweiser back in 1876. The Busch family as a whole has a net worth in excess of $13 billion.
Jeffrey Katzenberg
Position: Founder; Co-founder, former CEO
Company Name: Quibi; DreamWorks Animation
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $3.07 million
Donated to: Biden Victory Fund, SMP, DCCC, The Lincoln Project
Insights: Jeffrey Katzenberg is a well-known movie mogul who helped created Dreamworks Animation with his powerful friends Steven Spielberg and David Geffen. Katzenberg was a high-profile supporter of former President Barack Obama and maintains his devotion to Democratic causes, contributing millions of dollars over just the past year.
Stewart Bainum Jr.
Position: Chairman
Company Name: Choice Hotels
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $3.1 million
Donated to: Unite the Country, Biden Victory Fund, DCCC, Democratic State Central Committee of Maryland
Insights: Stewart Bainum Jr. has been associated with Choice Hotels since 1976 and has ridden the chain’s growth to tremendous personal wealth. From 1979 to 1987, he also served as a “fiscal-minded Democrat” in the Maryland General Assembly, so it might come as no surprise that he’s spent more than $3 million of his personal funds over the past year to support Joe Biden and the Democrats.
Kelcy Warren
Position: Chairman and CEO
Company Name: Energy Transfer Partners
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $4 million
Donated to: Take Back the House 2020, Trump Victory
Insights: Kelcy Warren co-founded pipeline operator Energy Transfer Partners in 1995. His company benefited from an executive order from President Trump to build the $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline in 2017, so it stands to reason that Warren is among Trump’s biggest supporters.
Read: 13 Companies Paying Execs Millions as They Declare Bankruptcy and Slash Jobs
S. Daniel Abraham
Position: Founder
Company Name: SlimFast
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $4.83 million
Donated to: AB PAC, Biden Victory Fund, SMP, House Majority PAC
Insights: The founder of SlimFast, S. Daniel Abraham has helped to make waistlines around the country smaller, but he’s also fattened the bank accounts of various Democratic causes to the tune of nearly $5 million in the past year. Abraham also used part of his $2 billion net worth to donate $3 million to presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Jeff Skoll
Position: Founder and chairman
Company Name: Capricorn Investment Group
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $5.14 million
Donated to: SMP, Priorities USA Action, Biden Victory Fund
Insights: Jeff Skoll was eBay’s first full-time hire, becoming its president in 1995. In addition to contributing significant sums to the Biden Victory Fund and other Democratic pursuits, Skoll has used some of his more than $5 billion in personal wealth for humanitarian causes, such as the $100 million he donated to his foundation to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stephen Wynn
Position: Founder and former CEO
Company Name: Wynn Resorts
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $6.12 million
Donated to: American Crossroads, Trump Victory, RNC, Senate Leadership Fund
Insights: Steve Wynn is a legend in Las Vegas, where he operated several notable hotels before building Wynn Las Vegas. The mogul sold his stake in casinos from Vegas to Macau, China, in 2018 and has used some of the proceeds to support the Trump Victory campaign.
Charles R. Schwab
Position: Founder and Chairman
Company Name: Charles Schwab Corp.
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $6.65 million
Donated to: Senate Leadership Fund, Congressional Leadership Fund, Defend the Senate, RNC
Insights: Charles Schwab, both the man and his namesake brokerage firm, are well-known for pushing investment commissions lower. The former CEO donates not just to right-leaning causes but also toward research into learning differences.
Kenneth Griffin
Position: Founder and CEO
Company Name: Citadel
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $7.3 million
Donated to: Congressional Leadership Fund, NRSC
Insights: Kenneth Griffin is another hedge fund manager with a lot of money to put toward political causes — in this case, more than $7 million to right-leaning organizations. Griffin, who began trading in his dorm room at Harvard in 1987, has donated more than $1 billion in his lifetime, including over $300 million to various nonprofit organizations in Chicago, where Citadel has its headquarters.
Connie Ballmer
Position: Co-founder
Company Name: Ballmer Group
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $7.55 million
Donated to: Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund, Unite the Country, DCCC, Biden for President
Insights: The wife of tech wizard Steve Ballmer, Connie Ballmer is the top-ranked female donor on the list, sending more than $7.5 million toward blue causes such as Unite the Country and Biden for President. Her Ballmer Group uses philanthropy and civic activism to assist the economic mobility of disadvantaged families.
Fred Eychaner
Position: President
Company Name: Newsweb Corp.
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $9.46 million
Donated to: SMP, House Majority PAC, Biden Victory Fund, DSCC
Insights: Fred Eychaner has been a frequent Democratic donor through the years, putting up $2 million for the Hillary Clinton campaign and posting nearly $10 million to the Biden Victory Fund and others in 2019-20. Eychaner founded his media enterprise, Newsweb Corp., in 1971.
George Soros
Position: Chairman
Company Name: Soros Fund Management
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $9.96 million
Donated to: Democracy PAC, Justice & Public Safety PAC, Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund, Biden Victory Fund
Insights: George Soros is a controversial and outspoken figure who solidly opposes Donald Trump. After famously earning $1 billion by shorting the British pound and “breaking the Bank of England” in 1992, the Hungarian American investor continued to manage client money until 2011. He now has a net worth in excess of $8 billion.
James Simons
Position: Founder
Company Name: Renaissance Technologies
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $10.24 million
Donated to: Unite the Country, House Majority PAC, Priorities USA Action, Biden Victory Fund, DSCC
Insights: James Simons is the first contributor on the list to donate more than $10 million to a side in the upcoming election. In the case of Simons, his donations land squarely on the blue side, favoring Democrats. A noted mathematician, Simons amassed his wealth as the founder of hedge fund Renaissance Technologies.
Michael Bloomberg
Position: CEO
Company Name: Bloomberg L.P.
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $14.43 million
Donated to: House Majority PAC, Swing Left, DNC
Insights: Michael Bloomberg is the CEO of Bloomberg L.P. but probably is more recognizable for his political career. After serving as the mayor of New York City, Bloomberg made a short-lived presidential bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination. Now on the sidelines, he remains a strong Democratic supporter.
Stephen Schwarzman
Position: Chairman and CEO
Company Name: The Blackstone Group
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $18.42 million
Donated to: Senate Leadership Fund, America First Action Inc., Congressional Leadership Fund, 1820 PAC, Trump Victory
Insights: Stephen Schwarzman is one of the most generous Republican donors, pumping in million dollars to foundations such as the Trump Victory fund. Personally worth more than $18 billion, Schwarzman co-founded investment firm Blackstone, which is now the largest buyout firm in the world.
Sheldon Adelson
Position: CEO
Company Name: Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $26.82 million
Donated to: Senate Leadership Fund, Trump Victory, Security is Strength PAC, NRSC, RNC
Insights: Sheldon Adelson has a personal net worth north of $30 billion thanks to his huge ownership stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp., which has properties in Las Vegas, Singapore and Macau. China. In addition to being a major contributor to Jewish causes, Adelson is a strong Trump supporter.
Donald Sussman
Position: Founder
Company Name: Paloma Partners Advisors
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $24.17 million
Donated to: Priorities USA Action, House Majority PAC, SMP, Women Vote!, Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund, DCCC
Insights: Donald Sussman is the largest contributor on the list to liberal causes, kicking in over $24 million in just the past year. The philanthropist and avid sailor has made a fortune in investments via his Paloma Partners Advisors.
Richard Uihlein
Position: CEO and co-owner
Company Name: Uline
Amount donated in 2019-2020: $52.69 million
Donated to: Club for Growth, Restoration PAC, Americas PAC, America First Action Inc., House Freedom Action
Insights: Richard Uihlein is the largest contributor on GOBankingRate’s list, outspending the No. 2 donor by more than $28 million. Run by the Uihlein family, Uline is a successful moving and supply company, offering everything from bubble wrap to the dog waste disposal stations seen in parks. The company also owns The Lodge at Manitowish Waters, a luxurious but rustic hotel in Wisconsin.
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Photo disclaimer: When CEO photos were unavailable, photos representing their business/industry were used instead.
Methodology: GOBankingRates used Federal Election Commission (FEC) data to discover which CEOs are pouring their money into the 2020 election season. With the parameter in mind that an individual had to be a CEO, Executive, President or Chairman of a company to be considered, GOBankingRates used the FEC?s data to collect the following information on the CEOs donating to political causes: (1) name of contributor; (2) job/position; (3) name of company/employer; (4) total donated from 2019 through 2020 to FEC reporting political groups/candidates; and (5) a list of major groups/candidates donated to. Only groups/candidates that must report data to the FEC were included in this study. Vox?s ?Silicon Valley pours money into Biden?s campaign ? and snubs Trump?s? was used to jump-start the sourcing of CEOs. All data was collected on and up to date as of Oct. 26, 2020.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: See How Much Money Warren Buffett, Dana White and 35 Other CEOs Are Pouring Into the Election
