The Political Donations Of Jeff Bezos

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has been criticised for his lack of political donations, despite being the richest man in the world. In 2018, Bezos made his first major political contribution, donating $10 million to a super PAC focused on electing military veterans to public office. This was the largest the group had received that year. Since then, Bezos has continued to donate to political campaigns, with Amazon and the Bezos family spending nearly $17 million during the 2023-2024 election cycle.

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Jeff Bezos's first major political donation was $10 million to a super PAC supporting military veterans

Jeff Bezos, the founder and chief executive of Amazon, made his first major political donation in 2018, giving $10 million to a super PAC supporting military veterans. The donation, made by Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie Bezos, was given to the With Honor Fund, a bipartisan super PAC that supports military veterans running for Congress. The fund has endorsed candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties, with a mission to reverse "the trend of veteran decline in Congress."

Bezos, ranked by Forbes as the richest man in the world, with a net worth of over $150 billion, had largely avoided making large political donations prior to 2018. His most notable political donation before this was in 2012 when he gave $2.5 million to support a successful referendum for same-sex marriage in Washington State.

The 2018 donation to the With Honor Fund was significant as it marked Bezos' first substantial contribution to a political group and his largest donation at the time. The fund had also received previous support from Bezos' parents, who had given around $2 million, and Jeff Wilke, who oversees Amazon's retail business and donated $50,000.

Bezos' decision to support a bipartisan cause in his first major political donation reflects his desire to avoid taking ideological sides. However, subsequent donations by Bezos-linked PACs have shown a preference for conservative candidates and issues. In the 2023-2024 election cycle, PACs associated with Bezos and Amazon spent over two-thirds of their total spending on Republicans, with one out of every four dollars contributed going to election deniers.

Bezos's largest known donation was $33 million to finance scholarships for undocumented high school graduates

Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon, has made several political donations. In 2012, he gave $2.5 million to the campaign to defend gay marriage in Washington state. In 2019, he and his wife, MacKenzie Bezos, donated $10 million to a super PAC focused on electing veterans to public office. This was their first major political contribution.

However, Bezos's largest known donation was $33 million to TheDream.US, a nonprofit education group that provides financial aid to undocumented immigrant high school graduates with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status. The grant will fund 1,000 scholarships, giving each student a total of $33,000 in aid over four years to cover their higher education costs. This donation is particularly significant as it is the largest in the organization's history and will provide life-changing opportunities for undocumented students seeking to pursue a college education.

Bezos's motivation for this donation stems from his father's experience as a Cuban immigrant. In a press release, Bezos shared that his father came to the United States at the age of 16, unable to speak English. With hard work and the support of organizations in Delaware, his father became a successful citizen who gave back to the country. The $33 million donation to TheDream.US reflects Bezos's desire to help and empower other undocumented immigrants, often referred to as "Dreamers," to pursue their dreams and contribute to the US economy through higher education.

TheDream.US partners with over 70 low-cost colleges in 15 states, and this donation ensures that more undocumented high school graduates will have the financial means to access these educational opportunities. The scholarship program has received high praise from its president, Candy Marshall, who highlighted the academic success of its scholars, with a 94% retention rate after the first year, exceeding the national average. The donation from Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos reinforces their commitment to supporting Dreamer students and ensuring their path to a college education, even amid debates about their place in the United States.

Bezos has donated to political action committees (PACs) tied to Amazon and Blue Origin, his space exploration company

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, a space exploration company, has donated to political action committees (PACs) tied to both companies. In 2018, Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie Bezos, made their first major political contribution, donating $10 million to a super PAC called With Honor. This super PAC focuses on electing military veterans to public office and works with candidates from across the political spectrum.

Bezos's donation to With Honor was his largest political contribution at the time. It was also notable as it marked a departure from the typical pattern of mega-donors, who often pour tens of millions of dollars into Republican or Democratic campaigns. Instead, Bezos and his wife chose to support a group with a mission to reverse "the trend of veteran decline in Congress."

Prior to this, in 2012, Bezos made a sizeable donation of $2.5 million to support a successful referendum proposal that legalized same-sex marriage in Washington State. This donation aligned with his other federal campaign contributions, which have largely gone to political action committees associated with Amazon and Blue Origin.

Bezos's donations to PACs linked to Amazon and Blue Origin indicate his willingness to financially support causes and candidates that align with his interests and values. However, it is worth noting that Bezos has also faced criticism from politicians on both sides of the political spectrum, including President Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders. As the founder of Amazon and the richest man in the world, Bezos has become a target for politicians and has had to navigate the potential impact of his political affiliations on his business.

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Bezos's donations to PACs have a clear partisan preference, with two-thirds of their spending going to Republicans

Jeff Bezos, the founder and chief executive of Amazon, has been the target of politicians from both sides of the political spectrum. While President Trump has attacked him on Twitter over his ownership of The Washington Post, Senator Bernie Sanders, a liberal independent, has criticized the wages that Amazon pays its warehouse workers. Bezos himself has largely avoided taking ideological sides, with his most notable political donation before 2018 being in 2012, when he gave $2.5 million to the campaign to defend gay marriage in Washington state.

However, in 2018, Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie Bezos, made their first major political contribution, donating $10 million to a super PAC called With Honor. This super PAC focuses on electing military veterans to public office and takes a cross-party approach to governing, with the group endorsing 14 Republicans and 19 Democrats in 2018. Bezos's parents, Mike and Jackie Bezos, had previously given around $2 million to the With Honor Fund.

Despite this initial show of bipartisanship, Bezos's subsequent political donations have revealed a clear partisan preference. PACs linked to the Bezoses have spent two-thirds of their total spending on Republicans, with one out of every four dollars contributed by Amazon's PAC going to election deniers. In the 2023-2024 election cycle, PACs backed by Amazon and the Bezos family donated nearly $17 million, with the Elected Principled Veterans Fund (EPV), a Bezos-linked PAC that backs Republican candidates, donating twice as much as the Principled Veterans Fund (PV), which backs Democratic candidates. Amazon's PAC has also long supported Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican, and contributed to the campaigns of JD Vance and Michigan Republican Congressman Tim Walberg in 2024.

Bezos has faced criticism from politicians on both sides of the political spectrum, including President Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the richest man in the world, has faced criticism from politicians on both sides of the political spectrum. Notably, he has been criticised by President Trump on the right and Senator Bernie Sanders on the left.

President Trump has attacked Bezos on Twitter over his ownership of The Washington Post. Trump's criticism is part of a broader pattern of the former president's direct attacks on companies and their leaders via Twitter. In one instance, Trump criticised Nike for featuring Colin Kaepernick in its "Just Do It" campaign, igniting online vitriol and boycotts of the company.

Senator Bernie Sanders, a liberal independent from Vermont, has criticised Amazon for the wages it pays its warehouse workers. Sanders helped introduce legislation called the "Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies" (Stop BEZOS) Act, which would force Amazon and other large employers to reimburse the government for the costs of federal benefits collected by their workers. Amazon has disputed Sanders' claims, stating that he understates how much the company pays its warehouse workers.

In addition to Trump and Sanders, Bezos has also faced criticism from other politicians, including those who have expressed concern about his growing wealth and influence. In 2018, Bezos made his first major political donation, contributing $10 million to a super PAC called "With Honor." This donation was aimed at supporting military veterans running for Congress with a cross-party approach to governing. While the PAC endorsed more Republican candidates (14) than Democrats (19), Bezos has largely avoided taking ideological sides in his political contributions.

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