Super PAC funded by Michael Bloomberg helped pay for Congressional District 16 recount
A Super PAC funded mainly by ex-New York City mayor and billionaire philanthropist Michael Bloomberg transferred more than $100,000 to a Super PAC that funded the astounding Congressional District 16 race, new campaign finance filings show.
The two-and-a-half-week voter-requested recount in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo kicked off on April 15. The recount of more than 182,000 votes broke a tie between Assemblymember Evan Low and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, sending Low into the general election to face former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo.
But several days before the recount began, a pro-Liccardo Super PAC called Neighbors for Results started funneling money into Count the Vote: the Super PAC that funded the recount.
Between April 12 and April 17, Neighbors for Results moved $102,000 to Count the Vote, according to its May campaign finance filings. Both Super PACs list Matthew Alvarez of Rutan and Tucker as the treasurer.
Alvarez could not immediately be reached for comment.
The pro-Liccardo Super PAC spent more than $500,000 in the primary supporting the former mayor and lists only three donors: former NetApp CEO Daniel Warmenhoven, Cypress Semiconductor founder Thurman John Rodgers and Bloomberg.
The former New York City mayor and billionaire philanthropist is the largest donor to the Super PAC, having shelled out $500,000 in February. Warmenhoven gave $50,000 and Rodgers donated $15,000.
Bloomberg and Liccardo have been linked politically for several years now. In 2018, Bloomberg Philanthropies accepted San Jose into a two-year program to help the city meet its climate goals when Liccardo was mayor. A year later, Liccardo backed Bloomberg’s presidential bid and served as the California co-chair for his campaign.
Spokespeople for Bloomberg and Liccardo could not immediately be reached for comment.
The recount was estimated to cost several hundred thousand dollars, and the remaining donors that helped fund the recount will likely be disclosed in the next quarterly campaign finance report in July.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.