5 Businesses in Biden and Harris’ Back Pocket

The Biden campaign’s decision to select Sen. Kamala Harris as former Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate for the 2020 presidential election was no mistake. Fundraising has never been Biden’s strong suit; however, it’s right in Harris’ wheelhouse.

Harris has long-standing relationships with key people on Wall Street and in Hollywood, as evidenced through her $40 million fundraising haul during her run for president. But due to her history as a senator from California who understandably supports Big Tech, she has access to a group that was lingering on the sidelines that are unsure about supporting Biden — Silicon Valley.

Couple that with the fact that Harris is the first Black and South Asian woman to become a major party’s vice presidential nominee and you have a recipe for fundraising success.

But who all is giving big money? Find out more about those putting money toward Biden and Harris.

Bob Iger, the executive chairman of The Walt Disney Co., gave $250,000 to the Biden Victory Fund — a fundraising effort via Biden’s presidential campaign, the Democratic National Committee and state parties.

Additionally, on Oct. 20, the cast of “Marvel’s The Avengers” — including Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana and Don Cheadle — joined Sen. Harris in a grassroots fundraiser hosted by the Russo Brothers in support of the Biden and Harris campaign. Disney acquired Marvel in 2009.

On Oct. 16, Harris attended a virtual fundraiser hosted by Harvey Spevak, the executive chairman of Equinox, and Related Companies CEO Jeff Blau, reported CNBC. Other hosts included Related Companies’ COO Ken Wong and Bruce Beal, Sr., chairman of Related Beal, the business’ Boston-based office.

To attend, a $50,000 minimum donation was required and the event was expected to raise over $750,000, according to CNBC.

Read More: Trump and Biden’s Campaign Funds Go Head to Head in Final Stretch Before Election

Billionaire LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman hasn’t always been a fervent supporter of the Democratic Party. His fundraising efforts started after President Donald Trump was elected in 2016.

But he’s going full force now. Vox reported in May 2020 that Hoffman was expected to spend as much as $100 million this election cycle to help Biden get elected.

And Hoffman isn’t the only Silicon Valley supporter. Super PAC Future Forward, which is funded by Silicon Valley millionaires and billionaires, has recently collected hefty donations from Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt, reported The Washington Times.

The CEO of investment firm Saban Capital Group, Haim Saban, along with California Rep. Adam Schiff, hosted a virtual fundraiser in September supporting Biden and Harris. Tickets were $500,000, and the event raised $4.5 million.

Saban, who is an Israeli-American, partially supports the Biden presidential campaign because Biden has a history of supporting an alliance between Israel and the U.S.

The senior managing director for real estate investment firm HFZ Capital Group, Alicia Goldstein, and the CEO of Artemis Real Estate Partners, Deborah Harmon, hosted a virtual fundraising event in August to support the Biden campaign. The event featured Kamala Harris and tickets were priced at $1,000 to $200,000, with an expected haul of millions.

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