Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might be a long shot candidate in the Democratic primary, but his campaign coffer is hardly strapped for cash. Popular Information reports that a collection of wealthy Republican donors—including Mark Dickson and Keith Sheldon—are now bankrolling the hopeful, whose support among likely primary voters has hovered in the low double digits, making him the most likely Democratic disruptor for Joe Biden’s reelection bid.
Dickson and Sheldon—who are most notably Trump donors and have never previously given to a Democrat—both donated the legal maximum of $6,600. And they aren’t outliers: Of the 96 donors to contribute the maximum to Kennedy from the start of his campaign in April through the month of June, 37 donated exclusively to Republican candidates in prior federal races. (Popular Information also found that only 19 of those 96 donors steadily backed Democrats in the past.)
One Kennedy-aligned super PAC, American Values 2024, has gotten the same treatment, with approximately half of the $10.25 million it has raised this year coming from Republicans. Kennedy also shares a few wealthy donors with Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, including David Sacks, a venture capitalist who has publicly supported DeSantis and whose PAC donated $6,600 to the Democrat; Sacks has also hosted separate fundraisers for both Kennedy and the Florida governor, according to Axios. Meanwhile, Omeed Malik, an ex-Democrat and former Bank of America executive, and Joe Voboril, one of Malik’s business partners, have also contributed to both Kennedy and DeSantis.
