The super PAC that tried to bolster Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) floundering presidential campaign had the backing of wealthy Silicon Valley doctor and Democrat megadonor Karla Jurvetson, Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings reveal.
Jurvetson, who has been heavily involved in supporting Democrat candidates and causes, largely backed the PAC that spent millions in favor of Warren ahead of Super Tuesday. While Warren has lamented the role of big donors in politics, Jarvestson reportedly provided the bulk of the PAC’s resources through a $14.6 donation in February, according to FEC filings. They show the doctor giving the monstrous donation to the Persist PAC — the same PAC that dumped millions into the effort to revive Warren’s floundering campaign following her losses in Iowa and New Hampshire.
According to Politico:
Jurvetson is one of the biggest donors in the Democratic Party and has spoken openly about what she feels is her obligation to support female candidates. “I feel like it’s our moral duty, if we’re not going to run ourselves, to support the women who are brave enough to put their name on the ballot,” she told the Mercury News in 2018. Jurvetson also hosted a fundraising luncheon for Warren in 2018 — before the Massachusetts senator disavowed in-person fundraising events altogether during her presidential run.
Through a spokesperson, Jurvetson declined to comment on her involvement in Persist PAC, which only collected a half-million dollars from other sources in February, according to a new campaign finance filing. Warren did not respond to a request for comment.
Jurvetson also made waves in July after assisting Warren’s campaign in gaining access to the Democrat Party’s voter database — a resource that came at a $175,000 price tag. Warren’s campaign, at the time, claimed the assistance did not break her stance to refuse help from wealthy donors.
“However, Warren’s team said she did not break her promise, as she did not personally reach out to Jurvetson, fundraise with her, or grant her special access,” Breitbart News reported at the time.
While Warren has called for the end of big money in politics, she refused to commit to refusing support from super PACs in her own bid, contending that all candidates should make that pledge together.
“The first day I got in this race over a year ago, I said I hope every presidential candidate who comes in will agree no super PACs for any of us. I renewed that call dozens of times, and I couldn’t get a single Democrat to go along with me,” Warren told reporters in February:
NEW: Here is video of Warren declining to disavow the new super PAC supporting her:
“If all the candidates want to get rid of super PACs, count me in. I'll lead the charge. But that's how it has to be. It can't be the case that a bunch of people keep them and only 1 or 2 don’t.” pic.twitter.com/byxQRjGMfs
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) February 20, 2020
“If all the candidates want to get rid of super PACs, count me in. I’ll lead the charge. But that’s how it has to be. It can’t be the case that a bunch of people keep them and only one or two don’t,” she added.
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