{"id":1605713,"date":"2022-08-14T16:25:12","date_gmt":"2022-08-14T20:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1605713"},"modified":"2022-08-14T16:25:42","modified_gmt":"2022-08-14T20:25:42","slug":"gretchen-whitmer-raked-in-over-1-million-from-billionaires-celebrity-donors-while-attacking-her-gop-opponents-special-interests-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gretchen-whitmer-raked-in-over-1-million-from-billionaires-celebrity-donors-while-attacking-her-gop-opponents-special-interests-ties\/","title":{"rendered":"Gretchen Whitmer Raked In Over $1 Million From Billionaires, Celebrity Donors While Attacking Her GOP Opponent\u2019s \u2018Special Interests\u2019 Ties"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">38<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgretchen-whitmer-raked-in-over-1-million-from-billionaires-celebrity-donors-while-attacking-her-gop-opponents-special-interests-ties%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1605713&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Gov. Gretchen Whitmer\u2019s campaign has raked in donations from billionaires and Hollywood celebrities despite fundraising off her Trump-endorsed opponent\u2019s ties to \u201cspecial interests,\u201d according to state records reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>The Michigan Democrat\u2019s campaign has received over $1 million from billionaires and almost $48,000 from Hollywood celebrities since 2021, state campaign finance disclosures show. At the same time, the governor\u2019s reelection campaign has criticized Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon for her ties to \u201cspecial interests\u201d and former Education Secretary and billionaire Betsy DeVos. <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/07\/22\/tudor-dixon-republican-primary-michigan-gretchen-whitmer\/\"><strong>(RELATED: \u2018Vindictive\u2019: GOP Candidate Launches Unconventional Line Of Attack To Unseat Dem)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSpecial interests are continuing to line up behind Tudor Dixon, including former Gov. John Engler and billionaire Betsy DeVos,\u201d Whitmer\u2019s campaign wrote in a July 8 email to voters. \u201cParty insiders and special interests are going full steam ahead with Tudor Dixon, their newly handpicked candidate who has proposed a radical agenda that would take Michigan backwards.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Billionaires who shelled out $250,000 for Whitmer\u2019s campaign in 2021 include Democratic <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/buzz\/j-b-pritzker\/\">Illinois<\/a> Gov. J.B. Pritzker, oil company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schusterman.org\/users\/stacy-schusterman\">heiress<\/a> Stacy H. Schusterman and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/profile\/pat-stryker\/?sh=51854e243542\">siblings<\/a> Patricia Stryker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/profile\/ronda-stryker\/?sh=33a57d43662f\">and<\/a> Ronda Stryker \u2014 the grandchildren of <a href=\"https:\/\/med.wmich.edu\/node\/306\">inventor<\/a> Homer Stryker. Some other billionaires who have donated to Whitmer\u2019s campaign <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/profile\/john-arnold\/?sh=30e6082b1100\">include<\/a> former Enron executive John Arnold, who gave $7,150 in April 2022, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/profile\/george-soros\/?sh=6cd5d28f2024\">and<\/a> Open Society Foundations Founder George Soros, who gave $25,000 in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>Jonathan Soros, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newamerica.org\/our-people\/jonathan-soros\/\">the<\/a> investment banker and son of George Soros, has donated $12,150 to Whitmer\u2019s campaign since 2018. His <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1997\/08\/17\/style\/jonathan-soros-and-jennifer-allan.html\">wife<\/a> Jennifer Allan Soros has donated $14,300 since 2018.<\/p>\n<div id=\"rev-more-content\">\n<p>\u201cJaws\u201d Director Stephen Spielberg donated $7,150 in March to Whitmer\u2019s campaign, and \u201cPrincess Bride\u201d Director Rob Reiner donated $2,500 that month. Actress Kate Capshaw, known for her role in \u201cIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,\u201d donated $7,150 in March.<\/p>\n<p>Tom Ford, the fashion designer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm1053530\/\">and<\/a> filmmaker, donated $7,500 to Whitmer\u2019s campaign in February 2022. Tom Rothman, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sonypictures.com\/corp\/seniormanagementteam\/tomrothman.html\">the<\/a> CEO of entertainment conglomerate Sony Pictures, gave the governor\u2019s campaign $5,000 back in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI kind of think hypocrisy is a misdemeanor these days in politics,\u201d Fred Wszolek, a Republican strategist in Michigan, told the DCNF. \u201cThis is the opening act of Whitmer for president. That\u2019s what all this demagoguery is about. To build a fundraising list for president.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7499346\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7499346\" class=\"wp-image-7499346 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1013359810-scaled-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1013359810-scaled-1.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1013359810-176x120.jpeg 176w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1013359810-620x422-1.jpeg 620w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1013359810-768x522-1.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1013359810-1536x1044-1.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1013359810-2048x1392-1.jpeg 2048w\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7499346\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">DETROIT, MI \u2013 AUGUST 8: Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan Democratic gubernatorial nominee, speaks with reporters after a Democrat Unity Rally at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel August 8, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. Whitmer will face off against Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Schuette in November. (Photo by Bill Pugliano\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Whitmer, who assumed office in 2019 and ran unopposed in 2022, has faced notable backlash from Republicans for <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2020\/12\/08\/governor-gretchen-whitmer-democratic-pandemic-lockdowns-michigan-coronavirus\/\">her<\/a> state\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2020\/11\/16\/whitmer-impeach-maddock-coronavirus-lockdown\/\">strict<\/a> COVID-19 restrictions, which <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/01\/22\/democrat-governors-joe-biden-inauguration-covid\/\">she<\/a> repeatedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlive.com\/public-interest\/2021\/05\/gov-whitmer-shown-violating-own-covid-19-order-at-lansing-bar-apologizes.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">failed<\/a> to abide by. Dixon, who worked for Michigan steel companies and was a radio host, <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/08\/02\/tudor-dixon-wins-michigan-primary\/\">won<\/a> the Republican primary in August after receiving former President Donald Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freep.com\/story\/news\/politics\/elections\/2022\/07\/29\/trump-endorses-tudor-dixon-michigan-governor\/10115243002\/\">endorsement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith over $15 million in attack ads out against us, we have to be ready to fight back against whatever Tudor Dixon and her special interest backers throw at us,\u201d Whitmer\u2019s campaign also wrote to voters in a Tuesday email. \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re coming to you today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By \u201cspecial interests,\u201d Whitmer\u2019s campaign is alluding to Dixon\u2019s campaign contributions from DeVos and her family, Home Depot Co-Founder and billionaire Bernard Marcus, ULINE Corporation CEO and billionaire Richard Uihlein \u2014 as well as two pro-Dixon super PACs <a href=\"https:\/\/cfrsearch.nictusa.com\/committees\/520858\">called<\/a> Michigan Families United <a href=\"https:\/\/cfrsearch.nictusa.com\/committees\/520162\">and<\/a> Michigan Strong \u2014 according to a Republican operative familiar with the situation.<\/p>\n<p>The DeVos family has donated $71,500 to Dixon\u2019s campaign since May 2022. The DeVos family also gave $875,000 to Michigan Families United, which Uihlein gave $250,000 to in July. In May 2022, Marcus gave $100,000 to Michigan Strong, which along with Michigan Families United has spent $2.24 million supporting Dixon through ad buys, video production and media consulting, Bridge Michigan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/pacs-backed-devos-others-spend-2m-ads-aid-tudor-dixon-records-show\">reported<\/a> in July.<\/p>\n<p>Whitmer has faced scrutiny from Republicans for her campaign taking individual contributions from wealthy left-wing donors allegedly <a href=\"https:\/\/mertsplus.com\/mertsuserguide\/index.php?n=MANUALS.StateLevelOffices\">above<\/a> the $7,150 limit. Michigan Freedom Fund, a conservative nonprofit, <a href=\"https:\/\/michiganfreedomfund.com\/illegal_100000_club_contributions_to_whitmer_prompt_new_campaign_finance_complaint\/\">filed<\/a> a campaign finance complaint in September 2021 against ten of Whitmer\u2019s campaign donors, including Pritzker, the Strykers and Schusterman.<\/p>\n<p>Whitmer\u2019s campaign sent $3.5 million to the Michigan Democratic Party in January after raising $2.5 million more than allowed under the legal limit, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2022\/01\/31\/whitmer-campaign-sends-3-5-m-excess-contributions-dem-party\/9291453002\/\">the<\/a> Detroit News reported.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGretchen Whitmer literally took millions in illegal contributions over the campaign finance limits in Michigan and she is literally funded by anti-American, pro-communism Billionaires like George Soros,\u201d Dixon told the DCNF. \u201cGretchen Whitmer a dishonest career politician who is always guilty of everything she accuses other people of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michigan\u2019s gubernatorial election will take place in November.<\/p>\n<p>Whitmer\u2019s campaign did not respond to the DCNF\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gov. Gretchen Whitmer\u2019s campaign has raked in donations from billionaires and Hollywood celebrities despite fundraising off her Trump-endorsed opponent\u2019s ties to \u201cspecial interests,\u201d according to state records reviewed by the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1605713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1605713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1605713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1605713\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1605713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1605713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1605713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}