Hedge Fund Democrat Donors

HedgeCo News

1. Jim Simons, founder of quantitative hedge fund Renaissance Technologies gave $94,100 in contributions over the past year, almost all of it going to Democrats, including Senators Harry Reid of Nevada, Chris Dodd of Connecticut and New York’s Charles Schumer, ABC said.

2. Also in the top ten, former Goldman Sachs trader Eric Mindich doled out $89,600, all to Democrats, including Reid, Dodd and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.

3. Michael Sacks, CEO of Grosvenor Capital Management and a big Obama supporter, donated $76,425, all to Democrats, the report shows, including $1,000 to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and $2,300 to Sen. Al Franken.

4. Henry Laufer, who works for Simons’ Renaissance, gave $73,600, all to Democrats. Among the recipients was HILLPAC, the PAC started by Hillary Clinton to support Democratic candidates.

5. Scott Nathan of Boston-based hedge fund Baupost gave $73,050, all to Democratic causes, including a maximum gift of $4,800 to Alan Khazei, who ran unsuccessfully to fill the Senate seat vacated by the late Ted Kennedy.

6. Eliott Associates’ Paul Singer gave $70,000 to Republicans in the past year. He donated $30,400, the maximum allowable, to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

7. Cliff Asness, of AQR Capital, a Greenwich, Connecticut-based quantitative fund, donated $71,600 to Republicans, including $30,400 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. In the tiniest of hedges, Asness gave Dodd $490, or around 1 percent of his total of $72,090 in donations during the past year.

8. Robert Mercer, also of Renaissance, gave $71,976, of which $69,576 went to the GOP.

9. Steve Cohen gave $68,400, all but $4,800 of which went to Republicans, including Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia and the scandal-embroiled Senator from Nevada, John Ensign, ABC said.

10. Phil Falcone, of Harbinger Capital, seems to be hedging his bets, donating $30,400 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and $10,000 to the Republican Party.

Hedge fund manager John Paulson gave money to both political parties, ABC reported. The most any individual can contribute in one election cycle is $115,500.