David Ellison, CEO of Skydance Media attends the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 07, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Kevin Winter | The Hollywood Reporter | Getty Photographs
David Ellison, the son of Republican megadonor Larry Ellison, gave $929,600 to again the re-election efforts of President Joe Biden, placing him among the many high current donors to the incumbent Democrat.
David Ellison’s donation is the most important recorded contribution that the Skydance Media CEO ever made to a federal candidate, in line with Federal Election Fee information.
His contribution in February to the Biden Victory Fund is tied with different giant contributors within the first quarter of 2024.
Others who gave the identical quantity as David Ellison in that quarter embrace the legal professional George Conway, who’s a number one critic of former President Donald Trump, and Fb co-founder Dustin Moskowitz.
David Ellison’s donation comes as his father, Larry Ellison, the chairman of Oracle, has saved his pockets firmly shut this election cycle.
Larry Ellison, who traditionally has been a significant GOP donor, has not made a single federal political donation up to now in 2024, information present. Larry Ellison donated greater than $31 million to Republican candidates throughout the 2022 congressional midterms, in line with knowledge from OpenSecrets.
Charles Myers, the previous vice chairman at funding financial institution Evercore and a Biden marketing campaign bundler, stated that the donation from David Ellison to help Biden is a “very large deal” on account of his household ties.
“It is as impactful as if one of many Soros sons began writing enormous checks to Trump,” Myers advised CNBC, referring to Democratic megadonor George Soros.
Biden’s allies made a full-court press to recruit David Ellison, because the president’s political crew tries to construct a marketing campaign conflict chest giant sufficient to successfully battle the presumptive Republican nominee Trump within the presidential election.
The transfer to achieve David Ellison’s help — and his large donation — was largely orchestrated by Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg, in line with an individual with direct information of the matter, who was granted anonymity to debate personal issues.
Katzenberg is co-chair of Biden’s marketing campaign, and his efforts to land David Ellison as a backer included arranging a gathering with Biden, the supply stated.
David Ellison, in December, attended a personal roundtable dialogue in Los Angeles that includes Biden and fewer than a dozen different attendees that included rich donors, the supply stated. That occasion was held on the house of Kurt Rappaport, an actual property investor and Biden donor.
Rappaport advised CNBC that he invited a “small group of mates” to his house to attend the occasion and people in attendance have been “not essentially” all main Biden financiers, however declined to remark additional.
Larry Ellison, founder and former CEO of Oracle Inc. watches a coaching race from a motor boat forward of the America’s Cup World Collection crusing competitors on the Nice Sound in Hamilton, Bermuda, October 16, 2015.
Mike Segar | Reuters
David Ellison made his donation to the Biden Victory Fund after the occasion at Rappaport’s house.
The Biden Victory Fund funds the Biden marketing campaign, the Democratic Nationwide Committee and dozens of state events, in line with Federal Election Fee information. Rappaport gave $929,600 to that fund final July, in line with FEC information.
David Ellison’s donation helped the Biden Victory Fund increase greater than $121 million within the first quarter of this 12 months. The same entity supporting Trump referred to as Trump Save America raised greater than $65 million that quarter, FEC information present.
Biden is trailing Trump by a single proportion level within the newest New York Instances and Sienna School public opinion ballot.
Larry Ellison supported Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., in his bid for president however didn’t contribute to his marketing campaign. He’s now reportedly making an attempt to promote Scott to Trump’s crew as the previous president’s working mate.
Whereas the Ellisons may be on completely different sides within the 2024 election, the 2 are working collectively on a significant media deal.
David Ellison’s Skydance Media just lately made a suggestion to accumulate Nationwide Amusements and merge with Paramount Photos. Larry Ellison, who has a reported web value of greater than $149 billion, is planning to assist fund the proposed deal.
A spokesperson for David Ellison declined to remark. Katzenberg and the Biden marketing campaign didn’t return requests for remark.