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Billionaire Jennifer Pritzker donated more than $250,000 to committees supporting Trump in 2016, but this contribution to the Lincoln Project appears to be her largest yet this year.
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Chicago Hyatt heir Jennifer Pritzker joined a group of at least 18 billionaires or their spouses who have donated to the Lincoln Project, the anti-Trump super-PAC led by former Republican strategists.
Pritzker, a retired army colonel and the world’s only known transgender billionaire, gave $100,000 to the group earlier this month, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday. Pritzker gave more than $250,000 to committees supporting Donald Trump four years ago. After Trump announced a transgender military ban in 2017, however, Pritzker turned on the president.
Liz Lefkofsky, who is married to billionaire Groupon cofounder Eric Lefkofsky, also made her first contribution to the super-PAC earlier this month, donating $100,000. So did Anne T. Bass, who is married to Texas billionaire Robert Bass. She gave $10,000, according to FEC records. Billionaire producer David Geffen gave another $100,000 this month, bringing his total contributions to $400,000.
Pritzker has also given directly to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. But while super-PACs can accept unlimited sums, donations directly to campaigns are subject to strict limits. She gave $2,000 to Biden’s campaign in August, after having donated $2,000 to libertarian candidate Jo Jorgenson in June.
The Lincoln Project, named for the Republican Party’s first president, reported Thursday that it has raised $66.7 million this year and about $8.5 million of that during the first half of October. In addition to making viral ads opposing Donald Trump, the committee has also spent money opposing Republican candidates in the Senate like Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.