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By Theo Burman
Live News Reporter
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Sam Altman has donated to hundreds of Democratic politicians over the last few years, along with exactly one Republican.
Analysis by Newsweek shows that the OpenAI CEO has consistently donated to Democrat politicians since 2013.
The data, from Open Secrets, also shows that Altman has spent over $1 million on candidates in his home state, California, as well as local Democrat organizations across the country. He has also donated to the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama in 2012, and Joe Biden in 2020.
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However, there is one recorded donation to a Republican in the last few years, to North Carolina congressman Patrick McHenry. In 2018, Altman donated $2700 to McHenry, the federal limit on individual donors for congressional campaigns. Altman, who was born in Illinois and currently resides in California, has never lived in North Carolina.
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At the time of the donation, McHenry was House Republican chief deputy whip, before going on to become the ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee in 2019, and the chair of the committee after the 2022 mid-terms. McHenry also served as the Speaker of the House pro tempore after the removal of Kevin McCarthy in October 2023.
It remains unclear why Altman favoured McHenry with a cash donation.
Altman has since donated over $1 million to Democratic politicians in several states. Many of his donations match McHenry's amount of $2,700, the legal limit on individual campaign donations. Prominent candidates that Altman has donated to include Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, Gavin Newson, Elizabeth Warren, and Andrew Yang.
Local Democrat candidates in Altman's state of residence, California, have also received donations from the tech figurehead. Congressional candidates Josh Harder, Harley Rouda and Brian Forde, as well as Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, all received the same $2,700 amount.
While the bulk of his donations focus on Califonia, Altman has also supported candidates on the East Coast, in states like New York and Virginia. in 2015, he donated to the campaign of Justin Brown, running for election in the Virginia House of Delegates, and in 2018, he supported James Gauhran's successful campaign for the New York State Senate.
The largest donation on record made by Altman was made to the Senate Majority PAC, a political action committee founded in 2011 to support Democrat candidates for the Senate. In June 2018, Altman donated $250,000 to the organization. Altman also made several donations to the People's House Project, a PAC founded by political commentator Krystal Ball that backs primarily Democrats.
Beyond individuals, Altman has also donated to state Democratic organizations, including the party's operations in key swing states. The Democratic State Central Committees in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Georgia have all received regular donations from Altman since 2020.
Newsweek reached out to Altman through OpenAI for comment.
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