New York Times: Billionaire vs. Billionaire: A Tug of War Between 2 Rogue Donors (In the News)

April 13, 2018   •  By IFS Staff
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New York Times: Billionaire vs. Billionaire: A Tug of War Between 2 Rogue Donors

By Alexander Burns,  Jasmine C. Lee, and Rachel Shorey

Two rogue billionaires – one on the left, one on the right – have emerged as the biggest political spenders of the 2018 elections, defying their own parties and pouring millions of dollars into confrontational campaign tactics…

David Keating, a campaign finance expert who favors fewer restrictions on political spending, said the rise of donors like Mr. Uihlein and Mr. Steyer mirrored the country’s broader political polarization.

“There are probably more donors who are ideologically driven today than there were in the past,” said Mr. Keating, a former strategist for the Club for Growth.

But Mr. Keating cautioned that the prominence of activist donors could also fade over the course of the year, once primary season is over. Many wealthy donors, he said, prefer to save their spending for the more straightforward fall contests that pit one Republican against one Democrat.

Indeed, beyond Mr. Uihlein and Mr. Steyer, a longer list of individuals who have donated the most so far shows many major givers who appear more conventional in their practices.

IFS Staff

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