The list of major Clinton donors includes a who’s who of reliable Democratic Party campaign benefactors. Some power couples have combined to give nearly $1 million.
When Hillary Clinton campaigned in Washington state in March, she met privately with tribal leaders at a Puyallup Indian Reservation school.
At the event, Clinton listened to tribal concerns and was presented with a traditional blanket and an honorary Indian name meaning “strong woman.”
Four months later, the Puyallups provided a less sentimental but more lucrative gift: a check for $353,400 to the Hillary Victory Fund.
In all, the Puyallup Tribe has contributed $463,400 to the pro-Clinton campaign fund, making it one of the largest Washington state donors, according to a Seattle Times analysis of Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings.
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That’s just a slice of the more than $10.6 million the Hillary Victory Fund has raked in from Washington state, thanks mainly to wealthy donors who have contributed $10,000 or more.
In a statement, Puyallup tribal chairman Bill Sterud said the tribe was doing America “a favor” by doing everything possible to elect Clinton. “Could you imagine Donald Trump in the White House? I can’t,” he said.
John Weymer, a Puyallup Tribe spokesman, said tribal leaders were honored to have Clinton visit the reservation. He noted the tribe has long been politically involved — usually supporting Democrats. “We are very active in the political market locally and in Washington, D.C.,” he said,
Weymer said he was not particularly troubled by Clinton controversies, including ongoing FBI scrutiny of her handling of emails while secretary of state.
“We realize this election has been very dirty and ugly,” he said, but added the tribe is more focused on issues such as treaty rights, protecting the Puget Sound, and health care.
Tech and other business executives, wealthy environmentalists and others have joined tribes to fuel the large-dollar support for Clinton in the state.
The list of major Clinton donors includes a who’s who of reliable Democratic Party campaign benefactors. Some power couples have combined to give nearly $1 million.
Tom and Sonya Campion, who have hosted President Obama at their North Seattle home, each have donated $491,100 to the Victory Fund since last year, according to FEC filings.
Tom Campion is the co-founder of Zumiez, the youth clothing chain, and is a leading national advocate of preserving the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Sonya Campion is a longtime philanthropic fundraiser. They did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Costco co-founder Jim Sinegal and his wife have chipped in a combined $220,000. He’s a well-known Democratic Party supporter and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2012.
The Muckleshoot Tribe also gave $150,000.
Others appear relatively new to the big political donor game.
Brian Lonergan, a principal at a Seattle energy-trading firm, and his wife, Shauna McBay Lonergan, each gave $350,000 to the Victory Fund on Oct. 5. FEC records indicate they’d previously donated only much smaller amounts to candidates. A message seeking comment at Lonergan’s business was not returned.
Another $413,400 came from Lisa Mennet, the founder of Cooper House, a Seattle clinic providing mental health services for children.
Clinton’s big-money dominance is at odds with some of the rhetoric from the Democratic Party decrying the influence of wealthy donors.
The Hillary Victory Fund is a type of big-money vehicle known as a joint fundraising committee. Such groups allow major donors to legally write large checks — as much as $418,800 a year.
The money is then distributed, adhering to contribution limits, to the Clinton campaign, the Democratic National Committee and to 38 state Democratic Party organizations.
Such fundraising tools have been increasingly used in the wake of U.S. Supreme Court decisions loosening restrictions on money in politics.
“This is accelerating how much our elections cost at an extraordinary rate,” said Josh Stewart, a spokesman for the Sunlight Foundation, a nonpartisan campaign-finance watchdog group.
While Clinton has advocated for campaign-finance reform, her campaign in the meantime has taken advantage of just about every big-money vehicle legally available. “They’ve been very frank about it,” Stewart said.
Through a spokesman, state Democratic Party Chair Jaxon Ravens declined a request for comment on the Clinton fundraising.
Trump, too, has taken advantage of the joint-fundraising option. In Washington, some wealthy donors, including Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman and Vancouver developer Clyde Holland, have kicked in about $1.2 million to the Trump Victory Fund in recent months.
But that’s dwarfed by Clinton’s donor base in the state. In addition to the $10.6 million raised here by the Hillary Victory Fund, the Clinton campaign has reported raising more than $11 million from state donors (some of that money flowed through the Victory Fund).