Democrats, liberals reap massive cash advantage from top political spenders

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — With less than 100 days until the November midterm elections, updated federal campaign finance records show Democrats and liberals are way ahead of their Republican counterparts in receiving donations from large organizations.

That’s thanks in part to Citizens United, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that many on the political left say undermines democracy.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, 16 of the top 20 contributors thus far in the 2013-14 election cycle gave almost exclusively to Democratic candidates and to liberal groups that support them. The three Republican-leaning organizations landing in the top 20 amounted to less than half of the overall top ranked donor, ActBlue.

ActBlue, a political action committee, gave more than $30 million to left-of-center politicos at various levels of government. Founded in 2004, ActBlue has the distinction of being the largest single source of political funding in the United States. Since 2013, all but $33,175 went to Democrats and liberals groups.

Second on the list is Fahr LLC, a global investment firm founded by billionaire hedge fund manager and “eco-activist” Tom Steyer. He made headlines earlier this year when he pledged $100 million to defeat candidates who he sees as obstacles to global warming legislation.

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