David Sacks, Palantir’s Helberg to Host Fundraisers for Vance

(Bloomberg) -- David Sacks will host a fundraiser with Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, the latest effort from the venture capitalist to help Donald Trump return to the White House. 

Tickets for the Sept. 8 event in Los Angeles go for as much as $50,000 a person, which includes being listed as part of the host committee, participating in a roundtable discussion, as well as having a photo and reception with Vance, according to an invitation obtained by Bloomberg News. Former Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler and Intercontinental Exchange Inc. CEO Jeffrey Sprecher are co-hosting the event.

Another fundraiser for Vance is slated for Sept. 12 in New York City, with Palantir Technologies Inc. adviser Jacob Helberg as a co-host. Tickets for that event go for upwards of $250,000 per couple, according to the invitation. 

Spokespeople for Sacks and Loeffler didn’t respond to requests for comment. A representative for Helberg confirmed his role for the event, and a spokesperson for Sprecher declined to comment.

The fundraiser comes as Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden’s exit from the contest, has pulled ahead in the money race against Trump. The Harris campaign and its affiliates raised $82 million during the Democratic National Convention last week, pushing their total fundraising haul to $540 million since Biden announced he would step aside.

Harris’ money-raising boom has reshaped the race and comes as polls show her largely erasing the lead Trump held nationally and in key swing states. In July, Harris raised $310 million, more than double the $138.7 million Trump raised that month. Harris started August with $377 million cash on hand, the largest war chest at this point in an election cycle, and more than the $327 million Trump reported in the bank.

Helberg and Sacks highlight how many business leaders who were once reluctant to back Trump have rallied behind him in this year’s election. Sacks also spoke at this year’s Republican National Convention. 

Trump has enjoyed more visible support from the technology industry this cycle — a contrast to 2016 — and Sacks has been a key player in bolstering the former president’s fundraising with that group. He hosted an event at his San Francisco home in June for Trump, with tickets that went up to $300,000. It brought in $12 million for Trump’s reelection event, according to an attendee.

Earlier: San Francisco Fetes Trump on Post-Conviction Fundraising Tour

Sacks has also been closely associated with Vance, an investor-turned-senator from Ohio, who was the recipient of most of the almost $2 million Sacks made in political contributions to national candidates in 2022 and 2023.

--With assistance from Lizette Chapman and Anne VanderMey.

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