Trail to the Chief: Dirty Dozen Donor Edition
The Dirty Dozen Donor Edition
Our inaugural Trail to the Chief ranked presidential candidates. Now we’re free to focus on the real stars of the 2016 race: billionaires.
Five years ago this week, the U.S. Supreme Court built a pipeline for the Biggest Boys to pour their cash directly into campaigns. Now these guys are standing at their spigots, having their rings (or other parts) kissed by would-be presidents eager to fill their campaign tanks at a single stop.
For the candidates, it’s less messy and time-consuming. Why bother with thousands of donors or hundreds of bundlers? It is easier to sell yourself wholesale, and in bulk. And it is so much more efficient for the ridiculously rich to purchase an entire candidate, rather than just one or two of his or her issue positions.
Not that a brazenly beneficent billionaire alone can make you president. In 2012, the Biggest Money could only keep you on life support long after your candidacy was dead (read: Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum). These were the “zombie” candidates, and they were annoying.
Still, a sugar daddy or two can turn the improbable or the obscure into the impossible-to-ignore, especially early on (read: Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum). In a long and crowded Republican race (estimated MSRP for a nicely equipped campaign: $500 million), a billionaire has become indispensable. More than one is nice, if you can manage it.
On the Democratic side, the calculus is the reverse. Hillary Clinton’s aim (and that of her wealthy buddies) is to make sure that no would-be primary challenger can latch onto a billionaire of his or her own. Hillary wants -- and needs -- them ALL for herself. That could ultimately present another novel problem: keeping peace among the big-ego control freaks of big money.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the Hamlet of the Hub, doesn’t seem to want a billionaire, which is lucky for Hillary, until someone such as Warren proves that it is not: That is, until this whole mess of money madness is hosed off the streets by a new era of reform.
But, hey, this is America, where talk is cheap but TV time is expensive. With guidance from Paul Blumenthal, HuffPost's unparalleled expert on campaign finance, we offer this Dirty Dozen list of some of the most powerful (i.e. loaded and connected and, in most cases, still available) Bigs:
Donor Photos: Getty, Associated Press
Our inaugural Trail to the Chief ranked presidential candidates. Now we’re free to focus on the real stars of the 2016 race: billionaires.
Five years ago this week, the U.S. Supreme Court built a pipeline for the Biggest Boys to pour their cash directly into campaigns. Now these guys are standing at their spigots, having their rings (or other parts) kissed by would-be presidents eager to fill their campaign tanks at a single stop.
For the candidates, it’s less messy and time-consuming. Why bother with thousands of donors or hundreds of bundlers? It is easier to sell yourself wholesale, and in bulk. And it is so much more efficient for the ridiculously rich to purchase an entire candidate, rather than just one or two of his or her issue positions.
Not that a brazenly beneficent billionaire alone can make you president. In 2012, the Biggest Money could only keep you on life support long after your candidacy was dead (read: Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum). These were the “zombie” candidates, and they were annoying.
Still, a sugar daddy or two can turn the improbable or the obscure into the impossible-to-ignore, especially early on (read: Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum). In a long and crowded Republican race (estimated MSRP for a nicely equipped campaign: $500 million), a billionaire has become indispensable. More than one is nice, if you can manage it.
On the Democratic side, the calculus is the reverse. Hillary Clinton’s aim (and that of her wealthy buddies) is to make sure that no would-be primary challenger can latch onto a billionaire of his or her own. Hillary wants -- and needs -- them ALL for herself. That could ultimately present another novel problem: keeping peace among the big-ego control freaks of big money.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the Hamlet of the Hub, doesn’t seem to want a billionaire, which is lucky for Hillary, until someone such as Warren proves that it is not: That is, until this whole mess of money madness is hosed off the streets by a new era of reform.
But, hey, this is America, where talk is cheap but TV time is expensive. With guidance from Paul Blumenthal, HuffPost's unparalleled expert on campaign finance, we offer this Dirty Dozen list of some of the most powerful (i.e. loaded and connected and, in most cases, still available) Bigs:
| RANK | DONOR | PARTY | LIKELY TO BACK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | DAVID AND CHARLES KOCH Need we say more? Stayed out of 2012 primary, but they love Scott Walker’s anti-union populism | Republican | Scott Walker |
| 2 |  | SHELDON ADELSON Can he find someone even more likely to waste his money than Newt? Shows clout by getting Christie’s apology | Republican | Benjamin Netanyahu |
| 3 |  | PAUL SINGER Trying to make Argentina cry billions for him; pro-gay marriage vulture Wall Street investor | Republican | Bush/Romney/Christie |
| 4 |  | HAIM SABAN Pro-Israel Mighty Morphin’ Power Ranger says he’ll spend “whatever it takes” for Hillary | Democrat | Hillary Clinton |
| 5 |  | KEN LANGONE Tough Home Depot founder said to have taken down Eliot Spitzer. You got a problem with that? | Republican | Chris Christie |
| 6 |  | JOE RICKETTS Owner of the Chicago Cubs, therefore used to losing; he’s loaded and earnest | Republican | Up for grabs |
| 7 |  | TOM STEYER Top super PAC donor in 2014 might try to eliminate the middle man by buying himself CA Senate seat | Republican | Himself |
| 8 |  | FOSTER FRIESS Cowboy stock picker already breaking out the sweater vest for Santorum 2016 events -- the very definition of optimism | Republican | Rick Santorum |
| 9 |  | JEFFREY KATZENBERG Master Hollywood bundler was ready for Hillary before there was a Ready for Hillary | Democrat | Hillary Clinton |
| 10 |  | BOB MERCER We don’t know anything, let alone anything funny, about this Club for Growth superquant | Republican | Rand Paul/Ted Cruz |
| 11 |  | MIKE BLOOMBERG $33 billion dollar wildcard could back Hillary, establishment Republican or … himself | Independent | Wildcard |
| 12 |  | LEW EISENBERG Played by the book (Goldman, KKR, own PE firm) and now taking Republican RNC Finance Chairman spot to avoid making a (i.e. any) choice | Republican | Republican nominee |
Donor Photos: Getty, Associated Press
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