January 28, 2022
Mega-donor George Soros is pouring $125 million into the Democracy PAC, a group that channeled more than $80 million to pro-democracy groups and candidates during the 2020 election.
The billionaire said in a statement to Politico that the nine-figure investment is aimed at supporting pro-democracy "causes and candidates, regardless of political party" who show they are interested in "strengthening the infrastructure of American democracy: voting rights and civic participation, civil rights and liberties, and the rule of law."
Soros' son Alexander is serving as the PAC's president, and said in a statement of his own that the Jan. 6, 2021 events at the Capitol and the "ongoing efforts to discredit and undermine our electoral process, reveal the magnitude of the threat to our democracy."
He added that the issue is a "generational threat that cannot be addressed in just one or two election cycles."
According to Influence Watch, Soros created the Democracy PAC in 2019 to influence the 2020 election cycle. The liberal billionaire's donation this time will put him among the biggest donors for the 2022 midterm cycle.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group tracking political giving, only a few major donors have contributed nine-figure amounts to federal candidates and groups in recent years.
Soros' Democracy PAC has already contributed millions to two major Democrat super PACs, with $2.5 million to the Senate Majority PAC and $1 million to the House Majority PAC.
Another $1 million has gone to the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State (DASS), which is dedicated to electing Democrats to state administration offices, which play roles in administering elections.
DASS raised $4.5 million in 2021 to prepare for the year's elections, at a time former President Donald Trump has endorsed candidates for secretary of state in many of the battleground states he lost to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
The Democracy PAC spending reports will be posted publicly Monday after it files with the Federal Elections Commission.
It has made significant donations to several groups that are focused on field operations, including $250,000 to BlackPAC, a group focused on turning out Black voters, to support efforts during the
Virginia governor and legislative races in 2021.
Vote Rev, which was formerly called VoteTripling.org, got another $1 million to support its efforts for canvassing voters at polling places.
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