Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Super PAC Contributions Overwhelmingly Concentrated Among Few Donors

Super PAC Contributions Overwhelmingly Concentrated Among Few Donors

Super PACs, the political groups flexing their muscles in a presidential race for the first time, are disproportionately funded by a handful of donors.

USA Today analyzed super PAC donations since Jan. 1, 2011, and found that one out of every four dollars came from just five spectacularly wealthy donors -- Harold Simmons, owner of Contran; Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam; Houston home builder Bob Perry and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. All of the donors donated to Republican-leaning groups.

In a similar vein, the Associated Press found that of the $60 million collected by candidate-aligned super PACs, $33 million came from just 24 individuals. Every presidential candidate, including President Barack Obama, has a donor who has made a contribution of $1 million or more to his aligned super PAC.

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