Bill Gates reportedly gives $50M to support Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign

Bill Gates reportedly gives $50M to support Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign Lisa Stiffler

Bill Gates speaks with Rodi Guidero, Breakthrough Energy executive director and managing partner at the 2022 Breakthrough Energy Summit. (Breakthrough Energy / Steven Walter Photo)

Bill Gates has reportedly donated $50 million to an organization supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for president.

Citing three unnamed sources, The New York Times said that Gates — who has not publicly endorsed Harris and historically stays nonpartisan — had written a check to Future Forward, the lead outside organization supporting the Harris campaign.

While Gates has said he could work with either a Harris or Trump administration, he has apparently raised concerns privately about the impact of a second Trump presidency.

“I support candidates who demonstrate a clear commitment to improving health care, reducing poverty and fighting climate change in the U.S. and around the world,” Gates told The New York Times. “I have a long history of working with leaders across the political spectrum, but this election is different, with unprecedented significance for Americans and the most vulnerable people around the world.”

While offering his comment to The New York Times, Gates did not confirm his donation. The money was given to Future Forward’s nonprofit arm, a so-called “dark money” organization that does not have to report its donors.

Gates is a private citizen, but his roles with the Gates Foundation and its global health initiatives and his Breakthrough Energy climate organization have him engaging with political leaders worldwide. And Gates’ approach to these issues clearly hew more closely with policies supported by Harris and the current Biden administration, from support for women’s health to funding for the deployment of climate technologies.

In Gates’ home state of Washington he has given $1 million this year to a campaign opposing an initiative to dismantle a statewide program addressing climate change.

Melinda French Gates, Gates’ former wife, openly endorsed Harris in July and reportedly made her own significant donation to Future Forward. Two of their children, Rory and Phoebe Gates, are also active supporters of Democratic candidates.

“There is so much riding on the election in November,” French Gates wrote on X on July 23. “We need a leader who will stand up for reproductive freedom. A leader who understands that supporting caregivers leads to healthier families and a stronger economy. A leader who knows that when women have their full power in society, we all thrive.”

https://ift.tt/kTiw2ov October 22, 2024 at 11:15PM GeekWire