Sen. Joe Manchin Has Raised Money From At Least 50 Billionaires In The Last 5 Years

Even though Senator Joe Manchin’s home state of West Virginia is no longer home to any billionaires (The one the state did have, Gov. Jim Justice, fell off Forbes’ rankings this year), Manchin has still raised plenty of money from members of the three-comma club.

Over the last five years, 50 billionaires and 17 spouses of billionaires have donated to Manchin’s campaign committee or leadership PAC, according to a review of Federal Election Commission data. About one third of Manchin’s billionaire supporters live in New York, and about one third of the group’s fortunes stem from the financial industry. Among them: activist investor Nelson Peltz, who told CNBC last month that he speaks with Manchin “every week.”  

Other notable donors include Bill and Melinda Gates, who donated $12,800 in 2020, before their divorce. Gates has written about favoring higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans, but Manchin helped him avoid an estimated $14.9 billion tax bill for 2020 and 2021 when the senator quashed the proposal for a billionaires’ tax last month.

Manchin, who personally owns stakes in fossil-fuel businesses and opposed President Joe Biden’s clean energy program, has received contributions from seven billionaires whose fortunes stem from oil and gas. Two of Donald Trump’s biggest donors, Energy Transfer CEO Kelcy Warren and Continental Resources chairman Harold Hamm, have donated to Manchin this year. 

Nearly half of the senator’s donors supported Biden during the 2020 election, either directly or through a spouse, while about 20% supported Trump. About one third did not contribute to either presidential candidate’s campaign. While most of Biden’s donors made their contributions three or four years ago, most of the Trump donors have only started donating this year—as Manchin has helped curtail several Democratic proposals. 

There are likely more billionaires on the way. “I’m going to have one of the biggest fundraisers I’ve ever had for him,” Ken Langone, a billionaire investor and Republican donor, told CNBC. “He’s special. He’s precious. He’s a great American.” 

Here are Manchin’s billionaire backers, listed in alphabetical order.

Madeleine Arison, wife of Micky Arison 

• Spouse’s net worth: $6.7 billion
• Source of wealth: Carnival Cruises
• Contributions to Manchin committees: $2,000

Bill Ackman

• Net worth: $3.3 billion 
• Source of wealth: Hedge funds 
• Contributions: $2,700

Bill & Tani Austin 

• Net worth: $3 billion 
• Source of wealth: Hearing aids 

Louis Bacon

• Net worth: $1.4 billion 
• Source of wealth: Hedge funds
• Contributions: $8,500

Sam Bankman-Fried 

• Net worth: $26.5 billion
• Source of wealth: 
• Contributions: $5,800

Andy Beal 

• Net worth: $10.4 billion
• Source of wealth: Banks, real estate

William Berkley 

• Net worth: $3.2 billion
• Source of wealth: Insurance 
• Contributions: $5,800

Leon & Debra Black

• Net worth: $11 billion
• Source of wealth: Private equity
• Contributions: $10,800 

Neal Blue 

• Net worth: $3 billion
• Source of wealth: Defense

Jim Davis

• Net worth: $4.8 billion
• Source of wealth: Staffing & recruiting
• Contributions: $10,800

Barry Diller 

• Net worth: $5.4 billion
• Source of wealth: Online media
• Contributions: $2,700

John Doerr 

• Net worth: $14.8 billion
• Source of wealth: Venture capital

Ken Fisher 

• Net worth: $6.9 billion
• Source of wealth: Money management
• Contributions: $750

Amy Goldman Fowler & Morgan Carrington Fowler 

• Net worth: $2.8 billion
• Source of wealth: Real estate
• Contributions: $20,000

Bill Gates

• Net worth: $137.9 billion
• Source of wealth: Microsoft

Melinda French Gates 

• Net worth: $6.3 billion
• Source of wealth: Microsoft
• Contributions: $5,000

Harold Hamm

• Net worth: $14 billion
• Source of wealth: Oil & gas 
• Contributions: $5,800

Jimmy Haslam

• Net worth: $3.7 billion
• Source of wealth: Gas stations, retail

Jeffrey Hildebrand 

• Net worth: $6.1 billion
• Source of wealth: Oil
• Contributions:  $10,800

George Lucas & Mellody Hobson 

• Net worth: $7.1 billion
• Source of wealth: Star Wars
• Contributions: $10,800 *

Reid Hoffman 

• Net worth: $2.4 billion
• Source of wealth: LinkedIn

Amos & Barbara Hostetter

• Net worth: $3.8 billion
• Source of wealth: Cable television
• Contributions: $5,400 *

H. Fisk Johnson

• Net worth: $3.6 billion 
• Source of wealth: Cleaning products
• Contributions: $4,000

Jim Kennedy

• Net worth: $9.1 billion
• Source of wealth: Media, automotive

Richard Kinder 

• Net worth: $7.2 billion
• Source of wealth: Pipelines 
• Contributions: $5,800

Seth Klarman 

• Net worth: $1.5 billion
• Source of wealth: Investments
• Contributions: $5,400

Marsha Laufer, wife of Henry Laufer 

• Spouse’s net worth: $2 billion
• Source of wealth: Hedge funds 

James Leprino

• Net worth: $3.4 billion
• Source of wealth: Cheese
• Contributions: $2,000

Michelle Locher, wife of Robert Ziff 

• Spouse’s net worth: $5 billion
• Source of wealth: Investments
• Contributions: $2,700

Howard & Nancy Marks 

• Net worth: $2.2 billion 
• Source of wealth: Private equity

Fatih Ozmen 

• Net worth: $1.4 billion
• Source of wealth: Aerospace
• Contributions: $2,900

John Paulson

• Net worth: $4 billion
• Source of wealth: Hedge funds
• Contributions: $5,400

Nelson Peltz 

• Net worth: $1.7 billion
• Source of wealth: Investments

Gigi Pritzker

• Net worth: $4.1 billion
• Source of wealth: Hotels, investments 
• Contributions: $3,000 

Trevor & Jan Rees-Jones

• Net worth: $4.5 billion
• Source of wealth: Oil & gas
• Contributions: $11,600

Aileen Roberts, wife of Brian Roberts 

• Spouse’s net worth: $1.8 billion 
• Source of wealth: Comcast 

Haim & Cheryl Saban 

• Net worth: $3.1 billion
• Source of wealth: TV network, investments
• Contributions: $10,800 *

Chris Sacca

• Net worth: $1.1 billion
• Source of wealth: Venture capital investing
• Contributions: $1,025

Lynn Schusterman 

• Net worth: $3.5 billion
• Source of wealth: Oil & gas 

Thomas & Cynthia Secunda 

• Net worth: $3.6 billion
• Source of wealth: Bloomberg LP
• Contributions: $10,800 *

David Shaw 

• Net worth: $7.5 billion
• Source of wealth: Hedge funds 
• Contributions: $2,700

Jim & Marilyn Simons 

• Net worth: $24.4 billion
• Source of wealth: Hedge funds 

Michael S. Smith 

• Net worth: $1.1 billion
• Source of wealth: Liquefied natural gas
• Contributions: $10,800

Steven Spielberg

• Net worth: $3.7 billion
• Source of wealth: Movies
• Contributions: $5,400 *

Edward Stack

• Net worth: $2.2 billion
• Source of wealth: Dick’s Sporting Goods

Jon Stryker 

• Net worth: $4.6 billion 
• Source of wealth: Medical equipment
• Contributions: $2,700

Mara Talpins, wife of Jeffrey Talpins

• Spouse’s net worth: $2.2 billion
• Source of wealth: Hedge funds
• Contributions: $5,000

Margaretta Taylor

• Net worth: $6 billion
• Source of wealth: Media, automotive

Jonathan Tisch 

• Net worth: $1.5 billion
• Source of wealth: Insurance, NFL team 
• Contributions: $5,400

Thomas Tull 

• Net worth: $3.2 billion
• Source of wealth: Movies, investments
• Contributions: $200

Christy Walton

• Net worth: $8.3 billion
• Source of wealth: Walmart

Rob Walton 

• Net worth: $67.3 billion
• Source of wealth: Walmart
• Contributions: $5,800

Kelcy & Amy Warren 

• Net worth: $3.8 billion
• Source of wealth: Pipelines
• Contributions: $11,600

Meg Whitman 

• Net worth: $5.2 billion
• Source of wealth: eBay 

Charles & Merryl Zegar 

• Net worth: $2.6 billion
• Source of wealth: Bloomberg LP
• Contributions: $2,000

_{* Contributions were made to a joint-fundraising committee and transferred to Manchin’s campaign committee.}