Billionaires can’t seem to resist opening their wallets for the guy once dubbed “the poorest man in Congress.” Between July and September at least 67 billionaires and their spouses made contributions of more than $100,000 to committees supporting Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission Thursday.
Those contributions added nearly $20 million to two joint fundraising committees, the Biden Victory Fund and the Biden Action Fund, groups that allow Biden to solicit donations far above the $5,600 contribution limit.
Among the largest donors were Haim Saban and his wife, Cheryl. Together, the Democratic power couple gave a combined $1.5 million. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, teamed up to give $1.4 million. Other big benefactors included Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker and his wife ($1.4 million), Netscape cofounder James Clark and his wife ($1.2 million) and New York real estate heiress Amy Goldman Fowler and her husband ($1.1 million).
Not all the donors were on the same page with their spouses. Jo Carole Lauder, who is married to Trump donor Ronald Lauder, gave another $100,000 to committees supporting Biden. Elaine Wynn, the ex-wife of former Republican National Committee finance chair and Trump donor Steve Wynn, gave $100,000 to Biden Victory.
“As Americans continue to evolve by blending generations of differing and diverse backgrounds, they need to be led in a true and positive spirit of inclusivity,” Elaine Wynn told Forbes. “And, most of all, it is time for women to be granted even more their rightful place in all aspects of public and private life. I am hopeful that all of this will be supported in a Biden-Harris Administration.”
Thomas Secunda, who cofounded Bloomberg LP with former 2020 presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, made his first contribution to Biden in September, doling $721,300 to Biden Victory Fund. So did former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who explored his own 2020 presidential bid last year. Notable names from Hollywood joined him. Director and producer Tyler Perry contributed $200,000, production company founder Thomas Tull $711,300 and Star Wars creator George Lucas $360,600. (Mellody Hobson, who is married to Lucas, gave over $300,000 in June and donated another $50,000 in July.)
The Biden Victory Fund reported raising $423.1 million between July and September; in total the group has raised $509.5 million since it launched in April. The Biden Action Fund raised $33.8 million last quarter. It’s raised $45.4 million since it launched in May.
Here’s a closer look at the billionaires (and their spouses) who Forbes found donated more than $100,000 to one of Biden’s high-dollar fundraising committees between July and September.
Haim & Cheryl Saban – $1.5 million
Reed Hastings & Patty Quillin – $1.4 million
J.B. & M.K. Pritzker – $1.4 million
James & Kristy Clark – $1.2 million
Amy Goldman Fowler & Cary Fowler – $1.1 million
Sean & Alexandra Parker – $1.1 million
Thomas Secunda – $721,300
Howard Schultz – $721,300
John & Ann Doerr – $715,600
Thomas Tull – $711,300
Tom Steyer & Kat Taylor – $640,600
Stephen & Susan Mandel – $528,045
James Chambers – $500,000
Gordon & Ann Getty – $500,000
Henry & Marsha Laufer – $486,000
Chris & Crystal Sacca – $420,000
George Lucas – $360,600
Lukas Walton – $360,600
Neil Bluhm – $300,000
Jonathan & Mindy Gray – $275,000
Arthur Blank – $250,000
George Marcus – $250,000
David & Beth Shaw – $213,000
Dustin Moskovitz – $210,000
Thomas Hagen – $200,000
Daniel Lubetzky – $200,000
Tyler Perry – $200,000
Daniel Pritzker – $200,000
Niraj Shah – $200,000
Hala Mnaymneh, wife of Sami Mnaymneh – $175,000
Dagmar Dolby – $160,000
Jon Stryker – $150,324
Katharine Rayner – $150,000
Robert Toll – $150,000
Joe Gebbia – $125,000
Pat Stryker – $110,000
Eryn Bingle, wife of Mike Bingle – $102,800
Robert Fisher – $101,400
Penny Pritzker – $100,205
Connie Ballmer, wife of Steve Ballmer – $100,000
Kate Capshaw, wife of Steven Spielberg – $100,000
Penny Coulter, wife of Jim Coulter – $100,000
Judy Faulkner – $100,000
Vinod Khosla – $100,000
Michael Krasny – $100,000
Jo Carole Lauder, wife of Ronald Lauder – $100,000
Daniel Och – $100,000
Mark Pincus – $100,000
Laurene Powell Jobs – $100,000
Lynda Resnick – $100,000
Aileen Roberts, wife of Brian Roberts – $100,000
Marilyn Simons, wife of Jim Simons – $100,000
Elaine Wynn – $100,000