Winklevoss Twins Team Up With Peter Thiel To Support Arizona Senate Candidate Blake Masters

Peter Thiel isn’t the one billionaire supporting Arizona Senate hopeful Blake Masters. Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the 6-foot-5-inch twins who parlayed a $65 million settlement with Mark Zuckerberg right into a multibillion-dollar cryptocurrency kingdom, have donated $50,000 apiece. Texas banker Andrew Beal additionally threw in $75,000.

No, it’s not a lot cash in comparison with the $10 million Thiel contributed in 2021 or the $3.5 million he reportedly added in Might. However nonetheless, the Winklevoss and Beal donations present that Masters has managed to impress some billionaires past Thiel, his former boss.

All 4 billionaires put their cash into a gaggle referred to as Saving America PAC, which operates as a brilliant PAC, which means it will possibly spend cash on advertisements supporting Masters — or opposing his opponents — however can’t coordinate immediately together with his marketing campaign. Saving America had raised $10.6 million as of March, in accordance with the newest filings with the Federal Election Fee. Ninety-six p.c of that cash got here from Thiel, Beal and the Winklevii.

To date, the group has largely targeted on the Aug. 2 main, during which Masters will face Arizona legal professional basic Mark Brnovich amongst a number of different Republican candidates — none of whom have important tremendous PAC assist. Saving Arizona has already spent $3.5 million supporting Masters and $723,000 focusing on Brnovich, in accordance with the newest FEC filings. “We’ve been outspent earlier than,” wrote Brnovich marketing campaign supervisor Brandon Urness in a press release. “The individuals of Arizona know Brnovich will combat for them and have made that clear on the poll field by electing him twice.”

If Masters, whose marketing campaign didn’t reply to a request for remark, is ready to win the first, he’ll go on to face incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a former astronaut whose spouse, former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), famously survived a capturing in 2011. Saving Arizona has solely spent $190,000 focusing on Kelly up to now.

Public polling is sparse, however in accordance with FiveThirtyEight’s database, Kelly at present seems to be main Masters and Brnovich in his bid for reelection. Time will inform which Republican will emerge out of the first and the way a lot Thiel, alongside together with his fellow billionaires, are prepared to spend.

Listed below are Blake Masters’ high 4 billionaire donors, as of March 31, 2022:

1. Peter Thiel

Quantity contributed: $10 million

Web price: $4.8 billion

Source of wealth: PayPal

Committees supported: Saving Arizona PAC

2. Andrew Beal

Quantity contributed: $75,000

Web price: $9.2 billion

Source of wealth: Banking

Committees supported: Saving Arizona PAC

3. Cameron Winklevoss

Quantity contributed: $50,000

Web price: $3.2 billion

Source of wealth: Cryptocurrency

Committees supported: Saving Arizona PAC

4. Tyler Winklevoss

Quantity contributed: $50,000

Web price: $3.2 billion

Source of wealth: Cryptocurrency

Committees supported: Saving Arizona PAC