PayPal co-founder donates millions to Ron Paul super PAC

@CNNMoney February 20, 2012: 12:01 PM ET
Peter Thiel donates millions to Ron Paul super PAC

Do super PACs take PayPal?

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Silicon Valley renaissance man Peter Thiel donated another $1.7 million in January to a super PAC that backs Ron Paul, according to disclosure documents filed Monday.

The PayPal co-founder donated $1 million on January 3, and followed that up 10 days later with an additional $700,000 gift.

The donations, disclosed in Federal Election Commission filings, account for almost 75% of the $2.3 million collected by the Endorse Liberty super PAC last month.

They aren't the first donations from the entrepreneur, venture capitalist and hedge fund manager.

Thiel made donations of $150,000 and $750,000 to the super PAC in December, gifts that were disclosed in the committee's year-end filing.

Thiel's $2.6 million in total donations account for 76% of the super PAC's fundraising since it came online late last year, underscoring the ability of deep-pocketed donors to have a major impact on campaign spending.

The donations are just a tiny fraction of the libertarian activist's net worth. In addition to his success at PayPal, which is now owned by eBay (EBAY, Fortune 500), Thiel has made a few other choice business moves.

In 2004, the angel investor put up $500,000 for Facebook's first financing round. At $30 per share, his stake in the social-networking powerhouse is now worth $1.3 billion.

That means $2.6 million in donations are no big deal -- only 0.2% of his Facebook holdings alone. That would be like a millionaire giving $2,000. Or a $200 donation for someone worth $100,000.

Super PACs are new this election cycle, and they have quickly become the donation method preferred by wealthy donors looking to make a splash.

More than half of itemized super PAC money this cycle has come from just 37 people, according to an analysis conducted prior to Monday's filings by PIRG and Demos, two research groups.

And gifts of $1 million or more -- from just 15 donors -- make up 38% of itemized, individual super PAC donations. To top of page

Most Popular
New York penthouse sells for a record $90 million
 
Facebook trading sets record IPO volume
 
Vacation? No thanks, boss
 
Inside New York's most expensive apartment
 
Why I don't take vacation
 
Overnight Avg Rate Latest Change Last Week
30 yr fixed3.80%3.76%
15 yr fixed3.11%3.02%
5/1 ARM2.69%2.68%
30 yr refi3.86%3.83%
15 yr refi3.21%3.13%
Rate data provided
by Bankrate.com
View rates in your area
 
Find personalized rates:
Economic Calendar
Latest ReportNext Update
Inflation (CPI)May 15
Retail salesMay 15
Home PricesMay 29
Consumer ConfidenceMay 29
GDPMay 31
JobsJun 1
Manufacturing (ISM)Jun 1
Hot List
New York penthouse sells for a record $90 million

An unnamed buyer paid more than $90 million for a Manhattan penthouse, the highest price ever paid for a New York apartment, according to the developer.  More

What Zuckerberg & Co. are worth

From founder Mark Zuckerberg to Facebook's earliest investors, here's a guide to what Facebook's key players are now worth. More

'Why I don't take vacation'

Unlike many other nations, the U.S. does not require companies to offer paid time off to workers. But many Americans who are offered vacation don't take it. More

Thrilled and bummed by Google's self-driving car

The technology is tantalizing, but not ready for the wider world, just yet. More

Home is where the airplane hangar is 

At Cameron Airpark Estates, a community of pilots and air enthusiasts, every home has a hangar and aircraft have the right of way. Play

CNNMoney Sponsors
Market indexes are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer LIBOR Warning: Neither BBA Enterprises Limited, nor the BBA LIBOR Contributor Banks, nor Reuters, can be held liable for any irregularity or inaccuracy of BBA LIBOR. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2012 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer The Dow Jones IndexesSM are proprietary to and distributed by Dow Jones & Company, Inc. and have been licensed for use. All content of the Dow Jones IndexesSM © 2012 is proprietary to Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Chicago Mercantile Association. The market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2012. All rights reserved. Most stock quote data provided by BATS.