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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Tom Perkins

The biggest losers in the US midterm elections? Republican mega-donors

Candidates backed by Peter Thiel lost in Arizona and Washington, calling into question his judgment and contributions’ value.
Candidates backed by Peter Thiel lost in Arizona and Washington, calling into question his judgment and contributions’ value. Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP

With the power balance in Congress at stake in this year’s midterm elections, the GOP money machine kicked into high gear. Spending on advertisements and drumming up votes was fueled by hundreds of millions of dollars from the party’s mega-donors and Super Pacs. Many donors’ spending figures marked new records.

Their return on investment, however, is probably not what they had hoped: some donors who spent eight figures notched zero wins in the Senate, while others spent far more money on losing candidates than winners. In the midterms, some of the biggest losers were Republican donors.

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