Top Democratic Donors

Blue Tent is tracking and profiling the most important campaign donors giving to Democratic candidates, party committees, and Super PACs. Click on the names below to read our profiles that explain what key donors are doing. 

Naomi Aberly: A leading fundraiser to Planned Parenthood, she also helped launch an effort to elect progressive women to office in Texas.

S. Daniel Abraham: Abraham, who made his fortune from Slim-Fast, is a major giver to Democratic committees and Israel-related nonprofits.

J.J. Abrams: Abrams isn’t just a prominent Hollywood director—he also uses his wealth to back Democratic and progressive causes.

Roger Altman: A former Treasury Department staffer under multiple Democratic presidents, Altman uses the wealth he made on Wall Street to back the DCCC and other Democratic committees.

John Arnold: The former Enron trader has found a second life as a philanthropist who supports criminal justice reform and changing the way local governments distribute pensions.

James Atwood: A former executive at both Goldman Sachs and Verizon, Atwood is a modest but steady donor to the Democratic Party.

Stewart and Sandy Bainum: These Maryland-based donors have donated millions of dollars to the Democratic Party as well as education and anti-poverty initiatives.

T.A. Barron: The venture capitalist-turned-fantasy novelist is a big giver to environmental causes and Senate Democrats.

Robert and Anne Bass: Heirs to an oil fortune, Robert and Anne have used their wealth to back Congressional Democrats and charitable causes.

Reinier and Nancy Beeuwkes: These Massachusetts-based donors are active in their home state and have expanded their giving, becoming reliable donors to Democrats all over the country.

Steve and Connie Ballmer: Steve Balmer was one of the earliest employees of Microsoft, and the Balmers are among the richest people in the world; they are not huge political donors but have given to gun safety causes and Joe Biden’s presidential campaign.

Joshua Bekenstein: A long-time Bain capital executive, Bekenstein supports Democratic Party committees and liberal causes.

Michael Bills: Michael Bills built a fortune in finance and is now using his wealth as a resource to battle Virginia’s major utility company.

Michael Bloomberg: One of the world’s richest men, Bloomberg briefly ventured into presidential politics before returning to his role as a major Democratic donor and gun control advocate.

Neil Bluhm and family: The Bluhms are one of Chicago’s richest and most influential families; they are considerable givers to Senate Democrats.

Allen Blue: Allen Blue is a Silicon Valley innovator, one of the co-founders of LinkedIn, and Democratic Party ally who raises money for liberals.

Richard Blum: Blum isn’t just married to a top Democratic senator. He also uses his wealth to support anti-poverty initiatives and a range of political campaigns.

David Bonderman: The private equity investor has given to Democratic committees and toward liberal ballot measures.

Eli and Edyth Broad: The Broads are generous Democratic donors, but their support for the charter school sector makes them controversial among some progressives.

Fred Eychaner: The Midwest media mogul has made LGBT causes close to his heart; he also gives to Democratic campaigns.

Mark T. Gallogly: As both a former Wall Street trader and a member of the Obama White House’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, Gallogly has been a steady donor to Democratic presidential campaigns.

Amy P. Goldman Fowler and Cary Fowler: The pair give not only to Democrats but to the cause of seed diversity and agriculture.

Diane von Furstenberg: A New York-based fashion world icon, Von Furstenberg has been a supporter of the DCCC, Nancy Pelosi, and Hillary Clinton.

Reed Hastings and Patricia Quillin: Hastings is CEO of Netflix and one of the world’s richest people, and together with his wife, supports Democrats and backs charter schools.

Reid Hoffman: A co-founder of LinkedIn, Hoffman gives heavily to organizations supporting House and Senate Democrats.

Amos and Barbara Hostetter: Having built their wealth from Amos’s cable company, the Hostetters have given to Democrats and Republicans alike.

Irwin and Joan Jacobs: When they aren’t giving nine-figure gifts to universities, the Jacobs regularly donate to help Democrats win elections—including their own granddaughter.

Wayne Jordan and Quinn Delaney: The Oakland-based pair have used their wealth on supporting Democrats and anti-poverty work in the Bay Area.

Karla Jurvetson: A Silicon Valley medical doctor and ex-wife of investor Steve Jurveston, she backed an Elizabeth Warren-supporting Super PAC this past year in addition to other Democratic committees.

Jeffrey Katzenberg: As one of Hollywood’s leading producers, Katzenberg is also a generous donor, giving heavily to Democratic-aligned Super PACs that supported the party in Senate and presidential races.

Vinod Khosla: Khosla is a heavy giver to ballot initiative campaigns in his home state of California.

Seth MacFarlane: The Family Guy creator is also a decent-sized political giver. 

Stephen and Susan Mandel: The Mandels made a fortune on Wall Street and have used it to finance Democratic campaigns and climate change and education reform organizations.

George M. and Judy Marcus: The Marcuses were early backers of Joe Biden’s campaign and have been steady givers to Democrats.

Dustin Moskovitz: This Facebook co-founder was heavily involved in the 2020 race and is using his resources to back philanthropic causes and Democratic Party candidates.

James R. and Kathryn A. Murdoch: Despite their relationship to a notoriously conservative-leaning media tycoon, the younger Murdochs are progressive donors, giving to climate change-related causes among others.

Phillip T. Ragon: The tech billionaire has backed the DCCC and other Democratic committees.

Richard Rosenthal: Rosenthal is a Midwestern ally for the Democratic Party.

Vincent “Vin” Ryan: More progressive than your average big-money donor, Vin Ryan has a track record of backing political newcomers and the Democrats overall.

Haim Saban: Saban is a Democratic billionaire who is particularly close to the Clintons; he is also a prolific supporter of pro-Israel causes.

Michael J. and Cari Sacks: These Chicago-based donors have heft in their city and in wider Democratic politics.

Bernard L. and Irene Schwartz: Bernard and Irene Schwartz’s political giving has long been a source of comfort for the establishment of the Democratic Party.

Thomas Secunda: Secunda is a co-creator of the Bloomberg Terminal who is a significant giver to the Democrats.

Eric Schmidt: The former Google CEO is one of the world’s richest people; he uses that wealth to fund environmental causes and some Democratic campaigns.

Wendy Schmidt: The wife of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Wendy Schmidt is a big donor to environmental causes and to some Democratic campaigns.

David E. and Beth K. Shaw: Backed by the wealth of David’s hedge fund, the Shaws have backed Hillary Clinton and leading Democratic committees.

Cindy Simon and Paul Skjodt: This Midwest power couple have supported multiple Democratic Party-leaning committees.

Deborah Simon: This Indiana-based donor has opened her wallet to help Senate Democrats and other Democratic committees in recent years.

Jim and Marilyn Simons: The Simons are among the world’s 30 richest people, and they’re generous givers to the Democratic Party.

Nat Simons: Simons is a backer of the Sea Change Foundation, which does climate-related giving.

Jeffrey S. Skoll: The activism-minded film producer of “An Inconvenient Truth” recently started giving heavily to Democratic Party committees.

Alexander Soros: The son of George Soros, Alexander pours money into liberal Jewish and Democratic causes.

George Soros: The famed Democratic-leaning billionaire has turned his eyes to criminal justice, helping fund the campaigns of reform-minded prosecutors across America.

Jonathan Soros: This member of the Soros clan focuses his giving on Planned Parenthood and a variety of Democratic campaigns.

Steven Spielberg: The famed filmmaker has given to a variety of Democratic politicians and committees.

Robert Stavis: The Wall Street trader turned tech venture capitalist has been a significant giver to Joe Biden; he’s a critic of political extremes.

Tom Steyer: The California-based philanthropist ran for president in 2020 but is better known for his sizable investment in climate change activism.

Pat Stryker: The heir of a medical supply company fortune, Stryker is a big giver to House Democrats and other Democratic campaigns.

Donald Sussman: One of the largest individual donors of the 2020 cycle, Sussman’s local and national giving have made him an important ally to the party for years.

Dale Taylor: This Chicago-based donor founded the AbelsonTaylor marketing company; he has been a giver to Joe Biden and the DSCC.

Thomas Tull: Tull is a movie producer and investor who has supported both Democrats and Republicans.

Lauren Woods: A California-based philanthropist, Woods has a long history of donating to women running for office.