See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.
Use This Visualization
Ranked: Top 10 Donors of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Key Takeaways
- In the most expensive U.S. election to date, billionaire donors played a critical role in shaping the political landscape.
- Elon Musk was by far the largest individual donor of the 2024 election, with nearly $300 million contributed to the Republican party.
- From the Top 10 donors, eight lean towards Republican.
The Red Wave of 2024
Money plays a powerful role in U.S. presidential campaigns. The more funding a campaign has, the more it can invest in advertising and outreach to connect with voters. In fact, in four of the last five general elections—2016 being the exception—the candidate whose campaign raised the most money won the presidency.
Billionaires overwhelmingly supported Republican candidate Donald Trump in the 2024 election cycle. The top 10 individual donors collectively contributed over $1.2 billion, with only a small fraction going to Democrats.
Elon Musk—now head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with slashing federal spending—led the pack with $291 million in contributions. Trailing him was Timothy Mellon, a reclusive heir to the Pittsburgh-based Mellon banking family, who contributed nearly $200 million.
| Donor | Total Contributions | Lean |
|---|---|---|
| Elon Musk | $291,482,587 | Republican |
| Timothy Mellon | $197,047,200 | Republican |
| Miriam Adelson | $148,294,900 | Republican |
| Richard & Elizabeth Uihlein | $143,463,906 | Republican |
| Kenneth Griffin | $108,402,184 | Republican |
| Jeffrey & Janine Yass | $101,128,680 | Republican |
| Paul Singer | $66,800,800 | Republican |
| Michael Bloomberg | $64,339,734 | Democrat |
| Dustin Moskovitz | $50,671,800 | Democrat |
| Marc Andreessen | $42,365,113 | Republican |
Coming in third was Miriam Adelson, whose fortune stems from the Las Vegas Sands casino empire and a stake in the Dallas Mavericks basketball team.
Ken Griffin, CEO of Citadel LLC, donated $108 million. In 2023 alone, Citadel posted annual profits of $8.1 billion, highlighting the immense financial firepower behind its founder.
Of the top 10 donors, eight supported the Republican party, channeling their wealth to conservative super PACs and candidates. Only two—Michael Bloomberg (founder of Bloomberg L.P.) and Dustin Moskovitz (Facebook co-founder)—backed Democrats, contributing about $115 million combined.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
If you enjoyed this topic, check out this graphic showing some of the most notable billionaires who attended President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The post Ranked: Top 10 Donors of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election appeared first on Visual Capitalist.