Tens of millions of dollars were spent on this year’s North Carolina campaigns, and much of it came from outside the state.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest donors and who they supported, according to the latest campaign finance reports released late last month:
Michael Bloomberg: The New York billionaire and former mayor appears to be the biggest individual campaign donor in North Carolina this year. He contributed a total of $3.5 million this year to the campaign committee that elects Democrats to Council of State offices, a group that directed the majority of its funds to help Attorney General Josh Stein in the governor’s race. He also gave $1.5 million to the N.C. Democratic Party.
Dr. Lenny Peters: The High Point businessman who owns the Bethany Medical Center chain was the biggest donor to several Republican campaign committees. His contributions include $400,000 to the committee funding GOP Council of State campaigns, $346,000 to the N.C. Republican Party and $100,000 to a committee backing Republican state Senate candidates. While he mostly backs GOP candidates, he also donated to several Democrats, including Sens. Dan Blue and Gladys Robinson and Rep. Cecil Brockman.
John and Virginia Sall: The couple each gave $1 million to the Democrats’ Council of State committee in the final months ahead of the election. John Sall is one of the co-founders of the Cary-based SAS Institute. They’ve also donated heavily to the N.C. Democratic Party and an array of the party’s candidates.
Ronald Cameron: The Arkansas-based owner of Mountaire Farms, one of the country’s largest poultry producers, donated a total of $400,000 to committees backing Republican candidates for the state legislature. He also donated to a handful of Republican candidates from Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson to Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.
Elizabeth Simons: The California-based philanthropist, who leads the Heising-Simons Foundation, donated $900,000 to the committee backing Democratic Council of State candidates, as well as $190,000 to the N.C. Democratic Party.
Scott Braswell: The owner of Braswell Farms in Rocky Mount donated $100,000 to a committee backing GOP statewide candidates.
Jane Stein: The mother of Gov.-elect Josh Stein contributed $425,000 to the committee backing her son and other Democrats running for Council of State positions.
John Kane: The Raleigh developer behind North Hills and other major real estate projects donated $100,000 to the committee backing Republican state Senate candidates. Additionally, he supported an array of GOP candidates, as well as Democrat Shinica Thomas’ campaign for Wake County commission.
George Soros: The billionaire philanthropist donated $250,000 to the committee backing Democrats for governor and Council of State offices.
Robert Willenborg: The CEO of J&J Ventures Gaming donated a total of $320,000 to a bipartisan list of state legislators and to the N.C. Republican Party, as lawmakers considered an expansion of gambling and casinos that could have benefitted his company. The legislation ultimately didn’t come to a vote.
Correction: An earlier version of this story listed Kate Fetzer of Wilmington as a major donor to a committee backing Republican state Senate candidates. A representative of the group says her contribution amount was listed incorrectly on its campaign finance reports, and her donation was only $5,000.
