Before Americans head to the polls in the November midterm elections, wealthy individuals, corporations, and lobbying groups have already cast their ballots early—but with checkbooks. The top 50 donors have poured more than $1.6 billion since the start of the current election cycle, in a race that will determine control of the House and Senate for the second half of President Donald Trump's term.

The numbers, derived from an analysis of Federal Election Commission data by The Washington Post, reveal a clear imbalance: about $1.05 billion went to Republican entities, compared to $362 million for Democrats and $234 million for special interest groups or organizations that fund candidates from both parties. Thus, Republicans received about 64% of big-donor money—nearly three times the Democratic share. However, the primary destination was not directly candidates' coffers, but major political action committees, or super PACs, which can accept unlimited amounts and spend on advertising and voter mobilization campaigns.

American billionaire George Soros (AP)

Yet the story is not just a contest between 'red' and 'blue'; behind this money are battles over artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies, online gambling, Israel, abortion, the courts, education—and Trump's own future within the Republican Party.

Soros... then a Republican army. Topping the list of individual and family donors is George Soros with $102 million, given through Geusor and the Policy Reform Fund to the liberal Democracy PAC. But his presence at the top obscures a clearer reality: all of the next nine names on the list lean Republican.

In second place are venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, with $91.3 million, distributed mainly to committees advocating for AI and cryptocurrencies, as well as to the pro-Trump MAGA Inc. committee. Elon Musk ranks third with $90.6 million, of which more than $50 million went to his America PAC, and $10 million each to committees focused on protecting the Republican majority in the House and Senate.

They are followed by financier Jeff Yass and his wife Janine with $89.3 million, then Uline owners Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein with $69.5 million, and Miriam Adelson with $67.6 million. Greg Brockman, chairman of OpenAI, and his wife Anna gave $50 million, half to MAGA Inc. and half to a committee supporting the accelerated development of AI.

Businessman and billionaire Elon Musk (AFP)

Rounding out the top ten are hedge fund manager Paul Singer with $37.5 million, cryptocurrency twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss with $33.2 million, and Citadel founder Ken Griffin with $32.4 million. Thus, these ten donors alone have paid nearly $663 million—about 40% of the total from the top 50.

Technology Enters the Arena. The list reveals not only partisan bias but also how elections have become a competitive arena for economic sectors. AI, cryptocurrencies, and sports betting now have their own committees, candidates, and legislative priorities.

Cryptocurrency companies Coinbase and Ripple together contributed about $107 million, most of which went to the Fair Shake committee that advocates for more favorable crypto regulations. Crypto.com operator Foris Dax also pumped $38.6 million, including $35 million to MAGA Inc.

In the AI battle, Andreessen, Horowitz, and Brockman donated a total of $75 million to the Leading the Future committee, which supports rapid AI development and opposes strict regulatory restrictions. According to Axios, the committee had about $31 million cash on hand at the end of the second quarter, meaning the bulk of its campaign may appear in the weeks before the vote.

An election sign in New York (AFP)

Sports betting is not absent; DraftKings contributed $34.8 million and FanDuel $29 million, seeking to influence federal and state legislation regulating the industry.

Who Buys the Loudest Voice? The list of institutions also includes the Republican One Nation with $70.7 million, the Democratic Majority Forward with $61 million, the conservative American Action Network with $44.3 million, and the Koch Industries group with $35 million. AIPAC gave $30 million to the United Democracy Project, which supports pro-Israel candidates, especially in Democratic primaries.

Legally, an individual can give a federal candidate only $3,500 per election, but the Federal Election Commission allows super PACs to accept unlimited money, provided they do not formally coordinate with candidates. Here lies the big trick: the money does not go to the candidate, but it buys ads that praise them or crush their opponent.

A voter casts her ballot in the Colorado primary election in Denver on June 30 last year (AFP)

And the figure is likely to rise quickly; the Federal Election Commission announced that congressional candidates raised $2.1 billion through the end of March, while political action committees raised $6.3 billion. The Brennan Center for Justice also warned of the expansion of 'dark money' networks that conceal the original funder behind nonprofit organizations and intermediary companies.

Money may not always guarantee victory, but it determines who can stay on the air, which issues become priorities, and which candidate gets a second chance after a faltering campaign. In elections where control of Congress may be decided by a handful of seats, it seems the billionaires didn't wait for the polls to open; they started voting now. "); googletag.cmd.push(function() { onDvtagReady(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-3341368-4'); }); }); }]