Most of the wealthiest Republican presidential campaign donors are backing one candidate only. Casino/hotel mogul Sheldon Adelson is financing Newt Gingrich, for example. And money management heavyweight Foster Friess is keeping Rick Santorum afloat.
But Harold Simmons, a leveraged buyout investor estimated by Forbes to be worth $9 billion, is spreading the wealth,
Politico reports. The Dallas resident has been a longtime supporter of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who dropped out of the presidential campaign last month.
In January, Simmons contributed $5 million to the Karl Rove-linked super PAC American Crossroads, or almost all the money it received last month, according to federal filings. In 2011 he gave the PAC $7 million.
Simmons gave $100,000 last month to Restore Our Future, a super PAC backing presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Simmons has twice forked over $500,000 to Winning Our Future, the super PAC supporting Gingrich. One of those donations came in January, and the other last year.
Simmons also offered up a $1 million contribution last year to Make Us Great Again, the super PAC backing Perry. And the billionaire has donated $2,500 each to the campaigns of Romney, Gingrich, Perry, and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who also ran briefly.
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