Democratic Donors Pledge Millions to Support Biden Critics, Sparking Controversy
Photo: Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty
Never-Trumpers were rattled Thursday following a report that a group of Democratic donors pledged millions to lawmakers who’ve defected or criticized President Joe Biden.
A group of 30 donors in New York — including crypto billionaire Mike Novogratz, Hollywood filmmaker Andrew Jarecki, and donor and operative Gideon Stein — have pledged $2 million to a House Democrat Super PAC to support Democrats who criticized Biden, Jake Sherman reported for Punchbowl News.
The lawmakers benefiting from this support include Reps. Angie Craig of Minnesota, Marie Glusenkamp Perez of Washington, Jared Golden of Maine, and Pat Ryan of New York. The report led anti-MAGA users on X to collectively bemoan the continued split in the party.
“So big donors are paying house democrats who come out against Biden,” a resigned @BeSeriousUSA wrote, adding an up arrow emoji. “Wait a sec, donors are now bribing politicians to shiv their own incumbent? That is f-ed,” wrote @BDubes82.
“So they were given money to do it,” said @kiminca25. Mike Madrid, a strategist and co-founder of the pro-democracy organization The Lincoln Project, remarked: “The Democratic Party is strangling itself.”
In response to Madrid, @sydrasmith replied, “Looks more like the donor class is sabotaging the party.” And @omarsultan commented, “It must be so much easier to be a Republican.”
This controversy underscores the internal tensions within the Democratic Party as it navigates support for President Biden while accommodating divergent views among its members. The financial backing of lawmakers who criticize Biden adds another layer of complexity to the party’s efforts to maintain unity ahead of the 2024 elections.
