Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that he is not running for President in 2020 earlier this week. But some of his supporters don’t care.
A newly formed progressive Super PAC named “Disrupt for America” is now accepting donations for their cause: convincing Zuckerberg to run in 2020.
“We will have to convince the American people to convince Mark,” a spokesperson for the PAC said in an email, noting that 2020 is still awhile away.
And why is the group fixated on Zuckerberg?
“His comments on the topic are measured, sensible, and allow him to retain flexibility. I think most people would (and should) say something very similar in this situation,” the spokesperson said. “Having done some preliminary focus group work on this, we are confident that we can overcome any hurdles we might face with respect to the electorate’s perception of Mark as a viable candidate.”
So far, the Super PAC has been rather hush hush. It’s declined to disclose its funding or its backers, though Disrupt says the Super PAC is “well-funded, well-connected.” The only name on Disrupt’s Federal Elections Committee filing to raise unlimited funds was Rodney Giles, a Houston, Texas-based “serial entrepreneur” connected to small real estate and oil exploration businesses. Giles was named the Super PAC’s treasurer.
The spokesperson did reveal, however, that Disrupt for America currently has eight board members and an office in Houston. The Super PAC also plans to open an office in California and Washington, D.C., soon, and is currently focused on hiring.
While it waits for the 2020 presidential elections (and for Zuckerberg’s 35th birthday in 2019), Disrupt will be backing Democratic and progressive congressional candidates in the hopes of turning both Texas and Florida blue.
Zuckerberg on his part has shown interest, at the very least, in working for public office. Facebook has reportedly paved the way for Zuckerberg to assume a government position while retaining his control over the company. At the same time, the billionaire CEO has set off on a road trip not unlike one a presidential candidate might undertake.
“My personal challenge this year is to visit every state I haven’t spent time in before to learn about people’s hopes and challenges, and how they’re thinking about their work and communities,” he wrote in the Sunday Facebook post. Still, he notes: “Some of you have asked if this challenge means I’m running for public office. I’m not.”