WASHINGTON — Who are the biggest donors to the campaigns of President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney? The Associated Press examined more than 2.3 million campaign contributions and ranked the top five financial supporters for each. WASHINGTON —
WASHINGTON — Who are the biggest donors to the campaigns of President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney? The Associated Press examined more than 2.3 million campaign contributions and ranked the top five financial supporters for each.
Those donors and others are funding a presidential election on track to cost nearly $2 billion, with money going toward individual Democratic and Republican campaigns as well as independent, “super” political action committees working on the campaigns’ behalf.
The largest declared donor overall is casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who is worth an estimated $25 billion. He has donated $34.2 million so far to aid Romney and organizations supporting Romney this election.
All five of the top Romney donors gave more money than the top Obama donor, movie producer Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Big-dollar donors can have big influence. They are often invited to state dinners at the White House and other events with the president. They also may be asked to weigh in on public policy, especially if it affects their financial interests. And the ranks of ambassadors, advisory panels and other government jobs traditionally are filled with those who have been generous during the campaign.
Top five Obama donors
No. 1: Jeffrey Katzenberg, 61, Hollywood film producer and chief executive of DreamWorks Animation.
Total: $2.566 million
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No. 2: Irwin Jacobs, 78, the founder and former chairman of Qualcomm.
Total: $2.122 million
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No. 3 (tie): Fred Eychaner, founder of Chicago-based alternative-newspaper publisher Newsweb Corp.
Total: $2.066 million
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No. 3 (tie): Jon Stryker, 54, a Michigan philanthropist.
Total: $2.066 million
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No. 5: Steve Mostyn, 41, a Houston-based personal injury attorney.
Total: $2.003 million
Top five Romney donors
No. 1: Sheldon Adelson, 79, owner of the Las Vegas Sands casino empire.
Total: $34.2 million
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No. 2: Bob J. Perry, 80, head of a Houston real estate empire worth an estimated $650 million.
Total: $17.3 million
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No. 3: Harold Simmons, 81, owner of Contran Corp., a Dallas-based conglomerate worth an estimated $9 billion that specializes in metals and chemical production and waste management.
Total: $16.5 million
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No. 4: Robert Rowling, 58, head of Dallas-based TRT Holdings.
Total: $4.1 million
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No. 5: William Koch, 72, an industrialist whose South Florida-based energy and mining conglomerate is worth an estimated $4 billion.
Total: $4 million
These rankings by The Associated Press, based on campaign financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission, include contributions to super political action committees, presidential campaigns, political parties and joint-fundraising committees. This analysis excludes secret-but-legal contributions that might have been made to nonprofit groups.
