Billionaire heiress Elizabeth Simons funnels hundreds of thousands to House Democrats
Elizabeth Simons has contributed $354,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and additional funds to House candidates, while also supporting progressive causes that unsettle party leaders.
Elizabeth Simons, a billionaire heiress, has poured $354,000 into the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and provided additional sums to various House candidates during the current election cycle. Earlier, she contributed $250,000 to a super PAC supporting Mayor Zohran Mamdani and has funded progressive education initiatives, including a $1.7 million grant to the Racial Justice in Early Mathematics Project at Chicago’s Erikson Institute.
As chairwoman of the Heising-Simons Foundation, she joins three other California donors—Patty Quillin, Quinn Delaney and Kaitlyn Krieger—in contributing nearly $4 million to House Democrats and related committees. While the DCCC is led by Rep. Suzan DelBene, a centrist, the influx of money from Simons and her peers fuels a progressive wing that some establishment figures find unsettling. Republican spokesperson Emily Tuttle criticized the funding as supporting a “radical, pro-crime platform.” Simons and her foundation did not respond to requests for comment.
Why it matters
Large donations from wealthy progressives could reshape the Democratic Party’s strategy and influence the upcoming House races.
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