Silicon Valley isn’t exactly swarming with Republicans, but there are a few big names, and it’s a faction that’s stayed noticeably silent in this year’s general election, pundits say.
As the presidential race enters the home stretch, many Republicans have been expressing support not for GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, but for his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited more than a dozen interviews with donors.
Other usually Republican donors have apparently taken the milder option of focusing on down-ticket races.
Even some of tech’s biggest-known Republicans, such as Peter Thiel, the once-staunch libertarian who sprung to national headlines last month for his impassioned RNC address, haven’t openly donated or raised funds for Trump, the Journal notes.
“I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. Most of all, I’m proud to be an American,” Thiel had said as a California delegate for Trump.
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Back in the primary season, Thiel had given $2 million to a super PAC for former HP CEO Carly Fiorina. But he has no plans in the way of fundraising for Trump, a spokesman confirmed to the Journal.
Similarly, Oracle co-founder and executive chairman Larry Ellison threw his support behind Florida Sen. Marco Rubio during the primaries, contributing as much as $5 million. But Ellison has so far also not donated to Trump, though it is unclear whether that will change in the coming months.
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Perhaps just as glaring is the fact that Trump has also not openly courted the tech titan vote during his campaign, while Clinton has voraciously appealed to the sector, even going so far as to release a tech policy platform. Trump has largely stayed silent on that beat.
What’s more, Clinton and her super PACs have brought in about a collective $30.7 million from the overall communications and electronics sector (including tech) this election season through June, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Trump, on the other hand, has raised about $336,000 from the industry.
