Here’s Who Billionaires Are Donating To In Tuesday’s Elections

Despite Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s insistence that billionaires should not exist, at least two have donated to support his campaign, Forbes reported previously.

Elizabeth Simons, heir to hedge fund billionaire Jim Simons’ fortune, donated $250,000 to the main group supporting the self-described democratic socialist, New Yorkers For Lower Costs, in August, while GitHub cofounder Tom Preston-Werner donated $20,000 to New Yorkers for Lower Costs in April.

At least 26 other billionaires and members of billionaire families have donated more than $22 million to Mamdani’s opponents, largely to back former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent—these are the five biggest donors to anti-Mamdani groups, as of Oct. 22:

Michael Bloomberg has donated $8.3 million to the Cuomo-aligned Fix the City super PAC, while Airbnb cofounder Joseph Gebbia has given $3 million to Fix the City and two other anti-Mamdani groups, Defend NYC and Put NYC First.

The Lauder family has donated $2.6 million to Fix the City and the anti-Mamdani group Sensible City, while Pershing Square’s Bill Ackman has given $1.75 million to Fix the City and Defend NYC, and the Tisch family has given $1.2 million to Fix the City.

At least several billionaires have donated in support of the GOP candidate in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears: Black Entertainment Television cofounder Robert Johnson ($500,000) and Interactive Brokers founder Thomas Peterffy ($300,000), according to OpenSecrets, while the Brennan Center for Justice reported packaging company billionaire Elizabeth Uihlein gave $250,000, and the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism reported Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick gave $200,000.

LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman gave $350,000 to support Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

In the New Jersey gubernatorial race, billionaire Reebok CEO Paul Fireman gave $100,000 to a super PAC supporting Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Hedge fund billionaire Thomas Steyer spent $12 million to support a California ballot measure that would add five Democratic-leaning congressional seats, while billionaire Charles Munger Jr. put $30 million toward opposing the initiative, Proposition 50.