Big name donors funnel $15.6 million into Clinton super PAC
The super PAC backing presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has raised $15.6 million in the past three months and George Soros and Steven Spielberg are among the biggest donors, a super PAC official said Thursday.
The biggest gift came from Haim Saban, owner of Spanish-language Univision network, who donated $2 million to the Priorities USA Action PAC, the official told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The PAC's chief strategist Guy Cecil wrote on his Twitter page that most of the contribution came in just the last four weeks.
Donors include film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, investor Donald Sussman, Boston political activist Barbara Lee, and the Plumbers and Pipefitters union. Actress Katie McGrath and her husband, producer J.J. Abrams, are also among the contributors.
"It may seem early to many of us, but with the amount of money pouring in from the far right wing, the time has come for our side to kick things into high gear," Mr. Cecil wrote in an email to supporters.
On Mrs. Clinton's campaign, the billionaire Marc Lasry is also one of the top donors. Soon after clinton announced her campaign on April 12, Lasry said he signed on to raise $270,000.
On Wednesday, Clinton announced that her campaign has raised more than $45 million during its first quarter.
On the GOP side, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s super PAC, Right to Rise, is expected to having raised about $100 million since the start of the year.
Another presidential candidate, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, said last month that he has raised more than $40 million through his campaign and the super PACs supporting his candidacy. In April, few days after coming to life, his super PAC announced it had collected $31 million.
All presidential candidates must file their financial disclosure forms with Federal Election Commission (FEC) by July 15. The complete donor breakdown will not be available before the filing.
So far, four Democrats and 14 Republicans have launched official bids for the presidency.
This report includes material from the Associated Press.
