The Soros family and Hollywood bigwigs are among the latest individuals to pump tens of thousands of dollars into the Wisconsin Senate campaign of Democratic hopeful Russ Feingold.
Feingold, the former senator from Wisconsin who lost his spot in Congress in 2010, is attempting to regain his seat from Republican Sen. Ron Johnson in the 2016 elections. Feingold’s campaign is being fueled by individuals who reside outside of the state of Wisconsin, a complete reversal of a pledge he first made to residents within the state dating back to 1992.
Now, rich and famous liberals are among the 57 percent of out-of-staters who are throwing their money behind Feingold, the Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reports.
Liberal billionaire George Soros and his two sons have contributed a combined $15,800 to Feingold’s campaign. Heavyweight hedge fund billionaire and environmentalist Tom Steyer, who was by far the biggest donor of the 2014 elections having given $75 million to Democrats, added an additional $5,000 in support. Feingold’s campaign has also raised thousands from Hollywood types such as Steven Spielberg, actor Michael Douglas, actress Blythe Danner, and Hollywood businessman David Geffen.
The Wisconsin Journal Sentinel writes:
What do uber-lefty billionaire George Soros, actor Michael Douglas, actress Blythe Danner, deep-pocketed environmentalist Tom Steyer and Hollywood bigwig David Geffen have in common?
They're all rich and famous political liberals.
And they are all backing former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold's campaign by writing checks to help the Democrat try to defeat Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in next year's election. In 2010, Johnson knocked off Feingold, who spent three terms at the U.S. Capitol.
Soros, chairman of Soros Fund Management, and his two sons gave a total of $15,800 to Feingold. Steyer chipped in $5,000, while Douglas donated $3,000 and Danner $1,000. Geffen gave the maximum $5,400.
Feingold's campaign earlier received financial support from director Steven Spielberg, Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, director/producer J.J. Abrams of "Lost" fame and actress Kate Capshaw.
"By accepting their campaign cash, Sen. Feingold raises serious questions about whose interests he would represent in the U.S. Senate – Wisconsin voters or liberal donors," said Amelia Chassé, spokeswoman for America Rising PAC, which is supporting Johnson's re-election bid.
Tom Russell, campaign manager for Feingold, responded by pointing out that the campaign has received donations from more than 20,000 Wisconsin residents from all 72 counties. Russell emphasized that Feingold will take their concerns and ideas to Washington, D.C., if elected.