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If it wasn't clear already, long-shot Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has some Republican fans — including some who are willing to spend millions backing his campaign.
According to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission on Monday, the majority of the $9.8 million raised by American Values 2024 — a super PAC backing Kennedy's campaign — came from Timothy Mellon, who gave $5 million to the group in April, days before Kennedy officially launched his campaign.
Mellon cited Kennedy's "bipartisan support" in a statement to CNBC on his contribution to the super PAC.
"He's the one candidate who can unite the country and root out corruption [and] he's the one Democrat who can win in the general election," said Mellon.
In addition to Kennedy, Mellon has given handsomely to Republican candidates and campaigns in recent years.
That includes:
- $20 million in contributions to America First Action, a super PAC that supported former President Donald Trump's 2020 re-election campaign.
- $45 million to Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC associated with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
- $30 million to Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC associated with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Mellon also contributed $53 million to an effort led by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas to build a wall on the US-Mexico border, effectively funding the entire venture himself.
The grandson of famous banking magnate Andrew Mellon and an heir to the family fortune, Mellon once wrote in a self-published autobiography that welfare programs are "slavery redux" and described Black people as becoming "even more belligerent and unwilling to pitch in to improve their own situations" in the 1980s.
The other major donor to the group was Gavin De Becker, a well-known security professional who recently defended Kennedy from accusations of anti-Semitism and racism after he speculated that COVID-19 had been genetically engineered to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people. De Becker contributed $4.3 million to American Values 2024.
Super PACs can accept unlimited political contributions and are barred from officially coordinating with campaigns — though in recent years, that line has become increasingly blurred.
Recently polling has shown Kennedy trailing Biden, and his unfavorablility has risen among Democrats as he's endured greater media scrutiny.
Why not both? It's usually both.