I’m sure this news won’t come as a shock to many of us, including myself.
Big GOP Donors Poured Money Into Kyrsten Sinema’s Campaign in September
As progressives agitate, Sinema has found a new source of campaign cash.
Arizona Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema has spent the last six weeks under increasing pressure from progressives to stop obstructing President Joe Biden’s agenda. Along with fellow Democratic moderate Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), Sinema has all but halted the passage of Biden’s budget complaining about the price-tag for the wide-ranging piece of legislation publicly. And, according to reports, swiping at the prescription drug price provisions behind closed doors.
But angering progressives might not be a problem for Sinema. According to newly filed campaign finance reports, Sinema has found a fresh source of support in recent weeks: GOP rainmakers.
On Friday, Sinema’s campaign filed a fundraising report with the Federal Election Commission indicating that she had raised $1.1 million from July 1 through Sept. 30—about equal to the amount she raised in the previous three months. But included on the list of her max donors—donors who gave up to the legal limit of $2,900 per election, with a maximum of $5,800 every two years—were some huge names from Republican fundraising circles.
Stan Hubbard, a Minnesota billionaire who since at least 2000 has regularly written six-figure checks to the RNC and who supported GOP presidential hopefuls like Scott Walker (before giving to a pro-Trump super-PAC) wrote Sinema a $2,900 check on Sept. 29. And both Jimmy Haslam, the owner of the Pilot truck stop chain and the NFL’s Cleveland Brown’s, and his wife Susan gave Sinema’s campaign $2,900 a piece on Septemeber 30. Haslam is a reliable GOP donor who has given at least $425,000 to the Senate Leadership Fund—a super-PAC set up by allies of Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell to help the GOP take control of the Senate—as well as regular maximum donations to the GOP’s House and Senate party committees.
Other wealthy Republicans giving Sinema maximum campaign contributions include the billionaire private-equity CEO Marc Rowan and his family members, who have been big Trump donors. And private equity executive Anthony De Nicola.
Sinema seems to have shown herself to be easily corruptible, suddenly opposing higher tax taxes for freeloading corporations and the ultra-wealthy. Never mind that she once supported a more equitable tax structure, calling raising taxes on the wealthy “common sense”.
Big Pharma, medical firms donated $750K to Kyrsten Sinema — then she opposed drug bill
By IGOR DERYSH
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the controversial Arizona Democrat who threatens to derail President Biden’s legislative agenda, received more than $750,000 in donations from the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. After that, she announced her opposition to a Democratic plan to lower prescription drug costs.
This is a Creative Commons article. The original version of this article appeared here.
