Facebook co-founder drops unprecedented cash to stop Trump

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If the first $20 million yielded cheers, the second $15 million generated stunned silence.

Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz vaulted suddenly and without any advance warning to the top rung of Democratic party mega donors with two unheralded tears through his checkbook in the last six weeks. His money significantly altered the short-term financial position of the pro-Hillary Clinton forces and revealed a previously unknown source of cash for Democrats.

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In the days after Moskovitz's money landed, the party's leading finance operatives struggled to control their excitement at the prospect of finally having an answer to Republicans Sheldon Adelson in the shape of a Silicon Valley titan like the ones Democrats have been chasing after for well over a decade.

This is a unicorn-type campaign gift you just dont see someone basically walk into a campaign without a significant track record of activity and contribute at this level, said veteran Democratic strategist Chris Lehane, a Clinton White House alum who works closely with top party donors in Silicon Valley.

The deeply private 32-year-old who is worth $12.7 billion, according to Bloomberg is a long-time philanthropist but political newcomer. He hasnt started to build contacts with local operatives. And he hasnt said a word publicly about his political involvement beyond a pair of Medium posts announcing it in the first place.

So now, grateful but puzzled Democrats in Washington and Silicon Valley are wondering, does Moskovitzs move herald the dawning of the new age of tech money that theyve been pursuing? Or is his unparalleled cash infusion a non-replicable, one-off response to Trump?

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/facebook-co-founder-drops-unprecedented-cash-to-stop-trump-230201#ixzz4O0hDMPii

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