Billionaire donors helped Cruz rise in GOP presidential bid

[webfact]

Billionaire donors helped Cruz rise in GOP presidential bid
By JULIE BYKOWICZ

WASHINGTON (AP) — Four of America's wealthiest businessmen laid the foundation for Ted Cruz's now-surging Republican presidential campaign and have redefined the role of political donors.

With just over a week until voters get their first say, the 45-year-old Texas senator known as a conservative warrior has been ascendant. The $36 million committed last year by these donor families is now going toward television, radio and online advertisements, along with direct mailings and get-out-the-vote efforts in early primary states.

The donors' super political action committees sponsored rallies Saturday in Iowa featuring Cruz and conservative personality Glenn Beck. The state holds the leadoff caucuses on Feb. 1.

The long-believing benefactors are New York hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer, Texas natural gas billionaires Farris and Dan Wilks, and private-equity partner Toby Neugebauer. They honed their plan to help Cruz before he began his steady rise in polls — even before he announced his presidential bid in March.

"No one wants to lose," Neugebauer told The Associated Press when asked why he and others bet big on Cruz. "We didn't miss that an outsider would win. I think we've nailed it."

Voters will soon start determining whether he is right.

The groundwork laid by Neugebauer and other major donors began roughly two years ago, first in a casual conversation with Cruz at a donor's home in Palm Beach, Florida, and then in a more formal way over the 2014 Labor Day weekend at Neugebauer's ranch in East Texas.

That October, big-data firm Cambridge Analytica — in which Mercer is an investor — began working to identify potential Cruz voters and develop messages that would motivate them. Alexander Nix, the company's chief executive officer, said the importance of this early work cannot be overstated. He credits Cruz for understanding this.

"Money never buys you time," Nix said, drawing from his experiences with campaigns worldwide. "Too often clients will come to you just before an election and expect you to work miracles. But you cannot roll back the clock."

Key donors soon came up with a novel arrangement: Each family would control its own super PAC, but the groups would work together as a single entity called Keep the Promise. They keep in touch through weekly strategy phone calls.

That's not how super PACs usually work. More typically, multiple donors turn over their money and leave the political decisions to professional strategists. For example, Jeb Bush's super PAC counts more than two dozen million-dollar donors.

For Cruz, the pool of really big donors is far more concentrated: Mercer gave $11 million, Neugebauer gave $10 million, and the Wilks brothers and their wives together gave $15 million.

That level of support has opened Cruz to criticism that donors are influencing his policies, whether on abortion, energy or the gold standard.

Ethanol advocates point to his oil and gas donors as the reason he wants to discontinue that government subsidy for the corn-based fuel. Cruz and the donors have dismissed that as nonsense. His campaign cites as evidence Cruz's desire to end handouts to all parts of the energy industry.

___

A GOLDMAN SACHS INTRODUCTION

Neugebauer said his belief in the candidate is both personal and pragmatic. "My heart and my mind told me he's the one," he said.

Mercer and the Wilks brothers declined to be interviewed.

Neugebauer, 45, said he met Cruz years ago through Cruz's wife Heidi, then a manager at Goldman Sachs. He said he wants nothing in return if Cruz wins the presidency.

"I don't need. Bob Mercer doesn't need. The Wilkses don't need," he said. "That's not what this is about. We do not want our children and grandchildren to grow up in a bankrupt country."

Neugebauer co-founded Quantum Energy Partners, a private equity firm based in Houston. It invested heavily in shale development, which became lucrative with the advent of hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking.

His father, Randy, is a Republican congressman from Texas.

In 2014, the younger Neugebauer moved his legal residency to Puerto Rico, saying he had done so primarily to expose his children to Spanish and become more worldly. The U.S. territory also provides key tax breaks that the mainland does not.

___

FATHER AND DAUGHTER

The Mercer family has followed Cruz's rise in politics for years.

Fundraising records show that Mercer's daughter, Rebekah Mercer, took an early interest in Cruz's 2012 underdog campaign for the Senate. Her money arrived as Cruz was preparing to take on the state's lieutenant governor and well-funded Republican Party favorite, David Dewhurst, in the May primary.

The elder Mercer, 69, is a former computer programmer and co-CEO of Renaissance Technologies, one of the country's largest hedge funds. Mercer, who lives on New York's Long Island, is intensely private. A review of his political investments provides some clues as to his policy interests.

He is a major donor to Republican groups, according to fundraising records, including entities run by the billionaire Koch brothers and Club for Growth, a Washington conservative economic group that backed Cruz's 2012 campaign. Mercer has attended conferences promoting a return to the gold standard in monetary policy, which Cruz advocates.

___

THE BROTHERS

The Wilkses met and became fond of Cruz after his election to the Senate, and Neugebauer persuaded them over barbecue in the first months of 2015 to participate in the Keep the Promise plan.

Farris and Dan Wilks made their fortune in fracking, producing drilling equipment when few were in that business. They sold their company in 2011 and have since become the country's 15th biggest land owners, according to The Land Report magazine.

Farris Wilks is a pastor at a small church called Assembly of Yahweh, 7th Day, where his parents were founding members. Both brothers are fervently against abortion rights and gay marriage and say the country needs to embrace Christianity.

Cruz has pledged "outlaw" abortion and said the Supreme Court erred last year in making gay marriage the law of the land. The candidate and hundreds of religious leaders gathered last month at Farris Wilks' central Texas ranch, an event hosted by Keep the Promise.

Farris Wilks has said his investment in the Cruz super PAC is helping "educate" voters.

"He's not afraid to stand against some of his own party even and say things that need to be said," he said in a November interview with KTXS, a television station near their tiny hometown of Cisco, Texas.

___

THE MONEY FLOW

Although these donors set aside their millions for Cruz 10 months ago, it's only now that the money is flowing into the 2016 race in a major way.

Since mid-December, the Keep the Promise super PACs have documented about $4 million in independent expenditures to help Cruz or attack other candidates — most often Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, federal election records show.

The super PACs have been identifying and connecting with Cruz voters through digital ads and door-knocking, and recently began a multimillion-dollar TV ad campaign. A Keep the Promise van tailed the Cruz campaign bus as it made its way through Iowa last week. Super PAC workers handed out thousands of "Choose Cruz" yard signs.

For the megadonors, it's no surprise that Cruz seems to be well-positioned heading into the primaries. In mid-July, Keep the Promise posted on its website a slide-show presentation called "Can He Win?" The document predicted it would be "very difficult for Establishment to destroy the conservative challenger."
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Follow Julie Bykowicz on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/bykowicz


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-01-25

[shirtless]

So mr Cruz , what concessions have you promised them , this is why we are taxed so heavily the 1% have politicians by the wallet

[sebastion]

Same old same old. The banksters rule and destroy a once great nation.

[SOTIRIOS]

...buy your way in.....

...meanwhile..... hurl the insults at the honorable individual who funds himself...by himself....

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

I guess these super rich find it much better to pay hundreds of millions to politicians pockets rather than pay their fair share of taxes to help society.

The US elections have turned into an incredible and disgusting waste of money.

The system is corrupt to the core and is in need of major reform.

[Usernames]

Cruz is a fake. His entire campaign is built on political calculation. There isn't a true word that comes out of his mouth.

[wabothai]

I guess these super rich find it much better to pay hundreds of millions to politicians pockets rather than pay their fair share of taxes to help society.

The US elections have turned into an incredible and disgusting waste of money.

The system is corrupt to the core and is in need of major reform.

America needs to see the doctor.

[Pinot]

We can thank the wingnuts who make up the Supreme Court for somehow reasoning that billionaires should run America. That's what Citizens United did. It gave away the country to the elite.

This is the reason that America has to elect a democrat. We can't afford for the Republicans to choose another of these awful people like Scalia and his hand puppet Clarence Thomas.

I'd love to see Cruz get the nomination but it doesn't really matter. All the GOP candidates are sure losers.

[chilli42]

This is the only thing I like about Trump and one of the things I like about Sanders ... they are not owned lock stock and barrel by money interests.

It would be interesting to know how much these same families are spending on HRC ... there is no way they are going to put all their eggs in one basket. They did not get rich by being stupid or honest.

[TheCruncher]

Neugebauer, 45, said he met Cruz years ago through Cruz's wife Heidi, then a manager at Goldman Sachs. He said he wants nothing in return if Cruz wins the presidency.

"I don't need. Bob Mercer doesn't need. The Wilkses don't need," he said.

Shouldn't this be in Pub?

[puck2]

We can thank the wingnuts who make up the Supreme Court for somehow reasoning that billionaires should run America. That's what Citizens United did. It gave away the country to the elite.

<---->

This story confirms what I learnt 8 years before. It was predictable when the senile and Rep dominated supreme court in the USA opened the Pandora's box and lifted the existing limits of campain donations. This was like giving unlimited power to the riches and lobbyists.

The US presidents are only puppets on a string (of some riches/companies).

It's so obvious, the money dominates the American political life, as decribed here in this threat and prouven in the whole election process. Without money support of the billionares' companies nobody has a chance to get elected as the president of the USA. If you think such a money support is for free then go to a doctor who can give you an injection for recognising reality. Later the US president has to deliver for what he has been paid for, follow the demand/s of the BIGmoney. One example: did Obama change the tax rates upwards hitting the riches

This new donation situation/system is one reason why people with a very healthy brain and heart - Bernie Sanders i.e. - will never be elected. I never have forgotten what I read 8 years before in the newspapers. The BIG MONEY turned away from Rep. candidate John McCaine at the same moment when it was clearly recognisable that Obama would be the winner. Surely not, because they liked him and his policy so much.

Edited January 25, 2016 by puck2

[chuckd]

We can thank the wingnuts who make up the Supreme Court for somehow reasoning that billionaires should run America. That's what Citizens United did. It gave away the country to the elite.

This is the reason that America has to elect a democrat. We can't afford for the Republicans to choose another of these awful people like Scalia and his hand puppet Clarence Thomas.

I'd love to see Cruz get the nomination but it doesn't really matter. All the GOP candidates are sure losers.

Just for the record, the top two individual political contributors in the 2014 election were...

1. Thomas Steyer and Kathryn Ann Fahr

$75,424,834 with 100% to liberal causes and Democrat Party.

2. Michael R. Bloomberg

$10,527,600 to liberal causes and Democrat party and $515,200 to conservative causes and Republican Party.

[Rancid]

Well, as they say democracy is the best system money can buy, and bought it surely is, and not just in the US.

[Ulic]

Yes Donald Trump is an egomaniac windbag with many delusions, but he will not be

beholding to corporations or fellow billionaires and that makes him extremely

undesirable to the GOP establishment. Love him or hate him he will be his own man

and not beholding to special interests. Right or wrong he will try to do what he wants.

Very little in the word is black and white. There are certainly more intelligent and

better choices but after they sell out for financial support are they any better ?

Cruz on the other hand is scary in my opinion, a real lunatic obsessed with gaining

power for powers sake. Heaven help the US in they chose Trump, heaven help the

world if they choose Cruz.

[Pinot]

We can thank the wingnuts who make up the Supreme Court for somehow reasoning that billionaires should run America. That's what Citizens United did. It gave away the country to the elite.

This is the reason that America has to elect a democrat. We can't afford for the Republicans to choose another of these awful people like Scalia and his hand puppet Clarence Thomas.

I'd love to see Cruz get the nomination but it doesn't really matter. All the GOP candidates are sure losers.

Just for the record, the top two individual political contributors in the 2014 election were...

1. Thomas Steyer and Kathryn Ann Fahr

$75,424,834 with 100% to liberal causes and Democrat Party.

2. Michael R. Bloomberg

$10,527,600 to liberal causes and Democrat party and $515,200 to conservative causes and Republican Party.

And then what happens after the first two contributors? That's a slimy factoid you tried to slip in there Chucky. Contributions by the next 50 are dominated by Republicans.

Really, It's irrelevant. Why is it that 100 people can influence American elections to the extent they do? Citizens United. The wingnuts on the Supreme Court allowed this to happen. It's an abomination of democratic principles.

Gerrymandering and Citizens United have destroyed democracy in America. The Republicans should be so proud.

Edited January 25, 2016 by Pinot

[chuckd]

We can thank the wingnuts who make up the Supreme Court for somehow reasoning that billionaires should run America. That's what Citizens United did. It gave away the country to the elite.

This is the reason that America has to elect a democrat. We can't afford for the Republicans to choose another of these awful people like Scalia and his hand puppet Clarence Thomas.

I'd love to see Cruz get the nomination but it doesn't really matter. All the GOP candidates are sure losers.

Just for the record, the top two individual political contributors in the 2014 election were...

1. Thomas Steyer and Kathryn Ann Fahr

$75,424,834 with 100% to liberal causes and Democrat Party.

2. Michael R. Bloomberg

$10,527,600 to liberal causes and Democrat party and $515,200 to conservative causes and Republican Party.

And then what happens after the first two contributors? That's a slimy factoid you tried to slip in there Chucky. Contributions by the next 50 are dominated by Republicans.

Really, It's irrelevant. Why is it that 100 people can influence American elections to the extent they do? Citizens United. The wingnuts on the Supreme Court allowed this to happen. It's an abomination of democratic principles.

Gerrymandering and Citizens United have destroyed democracy in America. The Republicans should be so proud.

Well, as you suggested, I looked at the first 50 political donors and came up with the following totals...

Republicans - $99.044.881

Democrats - $141,247,012

The only thing that looks slimy now is your usual attempt at spin..

[Pinot]

We can thank the wingnuts who make up the Supreme Court for somehow reasoning that billionaires should run America. That's what Citizens United did. It gave away the country to the elite.

This is the reason that America has to elect a democrat. We can't afford for the Republicans to choose another of these awful people like Scalia and his hand puppet Clarence Thomas.

I'd love to see Cruz get the nomination but it doesn't really matter. All the GOP candidates are sure losers.

Just for the record, the top two individual political contributors in the 2014 election were...

1. Thomas Steyer and Kathryn Ann Fahr

$75,424,834 with 100% to liberal causes and Democrat Party.

2. Michael R. Bloomberg

$10,527,600 to liberal causes and Democrat party and $515,200 to conservative causes and Republican Party.

And then what happens after the first two contributors? That's a slimy factoid you tried to slip in there Chucky. Contributions by the next 50 are dominated by Republicans.

Really, It's irrelevant. Why is it that 100 people can influence American elections to the extent they do? Citizens United. The wingnuts on the Supreme Court allowed this to happen. It's an abomination of democratic principles.

Gerrymandering and Citizens United have destroyed democracy in America. The Republicans should be so proud.

Well, as you suggested, I looked at the first 50 political donors and came up with the following totals...

Republicans - $99.044.881

Democrats - $141,247,012

The only thing that looks slimy now is your usual attempt at spin..

You're cherry picking your wingnut facts as usual. Add in all the sources to get the numbers, corporations, PACs etc.

But as I said, it's irrelevant. Both parties have to play the game and the game has been fixed by the Republican court. One of those wingnut Supreme Court Justices dies and this all goes away. Citizen's United is owned by those right wing justices, as well as gerrymandering and voter ID laws that exclude black voters.

Democrats want public financed elections with limits on individual donors. That's the last thing Republicans want. With fewer Republicans around every day (as they die off) the only hope Republicans have is to have corporations and a few rich people that have the money to control elections.

It's going to happen. We're seeing the Republican party in its death throes. Trump, Cruz and Rubio. Larry, Moe and Curly Joe.

[Publicus]

These big time financers and purchasers of rightwinge candidates Ted Cruz being only the most recent one made a huge fortune during the past seven years.

The Wilks Bros for instance went into fracking and in 2011 sold their corporation for $3.4 billion.

[chuckd]

Just for the record, the top two individual political contributors in the 2014 election were...

1. Thomas Steyer and Kathryn Ann Fahr

$75,424,834 with 100% to liberal causes and Democrat Party.

2. Michael R. Bloomberg

$10,527,600 to liberal causes and Democrat party and $515,200 to conservative causes and Republican Party.

And then what happens after the first two contributors? That's a slimy factoid you tried to slip in there Chucky. Contributions by the next 50 are dominated by Republicans.

Really, It's irrelevant. Why is it that 100 people can influence American elections to the extent they do? Citizens United. The wingnuts on the Supreme Court allowed this to happen. It's an abomination of democratic principles.

Gerrymandering and Citizens United have destroyed democracy in America. The Republicans should be so proud.

Well, as you suggested, I looked at the first 50 political donors and came up with the following totals...

Republicans - $99.044.881

Democrats - $141,247,012

The only thing that looks slimy now is your usual attempt at spin..

You're cherry picking your wingnut facts as usual. Add in all the sources to get the numbers, corporations, PACs etc.

But as I said, it's irrelevant. Both parties have to play the game and the game has been fixed by the Republican court. One of those wingnut Supreme Court Justices dies and this all goes away. Citizen's United is owned by those right wing justices, as well as gerrymandering and voter ID laws that exclude black voters.

Democrats want public financed elections with limits on individual donors. That's the last thing Republicans want. With fewer Republicans around every day (as they die off) the only hope Republicans have is to have corporations and a few rich people that have the money to control elections.

It's going to happen. We're seeing the Republican party in its death throes. Trump, Cruz and Rubio. Larry, Moe and Curly Joe.

My original post was to prove the two top donors to the political scene in the US were both nearly 100% Democrat, not Republican or Cruz supporters.

You then took your usual approach of calling my post one of "slimy factoid" because I didn't survey the top 50 donors. You, of course, presented no rebuttal other than to attack my post. Typical Pinot ploy,.

I then come back with the totals of the top 50 donors, at your suggestion, proving they are resoundingly Democratic party supporters and you then claim I am "cherry picking".

You have now gone on to claim my posts are irrelevant. Somehow you \believe a billionaire or two donating to a Ted Cruz' campaign is relevant but 27 billionaire donors contributing to Democratic agendas are irrelevant.

My suggestion to you is to stick to your usual one or two line sleaze attacks on the Republicans.

When you get in very deep you simply prove how bad at this you really are.

[Boon Mee]

We can thank the wingnuts who make up the Supreme Court for somehow reasoning that billionaires should run America. That's what Citizens United did. It gave away the country to the elite.

This is the reason that America has to elect a democrat. We can't afford for the Republicans to choose another of these awful people like Scalia and his hand puppet Clarence Thomas.

I'd love to see Cruz get the nomination but it doesn't really matter. All the GOP candidates are sure losers.

Just for the record, the top two individual political contributors in the 2014 election were...

1. Thomas Steyer and Kathryn Ann Fahr

$75,424,834 with 100% to liberal causes and Democrat Party.

2. Michael R. Bloomberg

$10,527,600 to liberal causes and Democrat party and $515,200 to conservative causes and Republican Party.

And then what happens after the first two contributors? That's a slimy factoid you tried to slip in there Chucky. Contributions by the next 50 are dominated by Republicans.

Really, It's irrelevant. Why is it that 100 people can influence American elections to the extent they do? Citizens United. The wingnuts on the Supreme Court allowed this to happen. It's an abomination of democratic principles.

Gerrymandering and Citizens United have destroyed democracy in America. The Republicans should be so proud.

Well, as you suggested, I looked at the first 50 political donors and came up with the following totals...

Republicans - $99.044.881

Democrats - $141,247,012

The only thing that looks slimy now is your usual attempt at spin..

One has to admit that among Leftists in general, all they really have is 'spin'.

Try to spin the getttos of Democrat-controlled cities e.g. Detroit, Baltimore etc?