Political activity[edit]

In addition to the money he has spent on political campaigns, estimated at $32 million as of 2016, Mercer has invested millions of dollars in the Heritage Foundation, the media outlet Breitbart.com, and Cambridge Analytica.[3][3]

In 2015, the Washington Post called Mercer one of the ten most influential billionaires in politics.[8] Mercer is a major financial supporter of the 2016 presidential campaign of Ted Cruz,[9] contributing $11 million to a super PAC associated with the candidate.[10] Reporter Zachary Mider, writing for Bloomberg in January 2016, called Mercer "the biggest single donor" in the 2016 U.S. presidential race.[3]

According to the Center for Responsive Politics Mercer is currently ranked the #1 donor to federal candidates in the 2016 election cycle, ahead of Renaissance founder James Harris Simons who is ranked #5 and generally donates to Democrats.[11] By June, Mercer had donated $13.5 million to Ted Cruz’s super PAC, $2 million to John R. Bolton’s super PAC, and $668,000 directly to the Republican National Committee.[11] Since 2006, Mercer has donated about $34.9 million to federal campaigns.[11] Since 1990, Renaissance Technologies has contributed $59,081,152 to federal campaigns and since 2001, has spent $3,730,000 on lobbying.[12]

Mercer has given $750,000 to the Club for Growth, $2 million to American Crossroads,[13] and $2.5 million to Freedom Partners Action Fund.[14] In 2010, Mercer financially supported Art Robinson's efforts to unseat Peter DeFazio in Oregon's 4th congressional district.[15] In the 2013-2014 election cycle, Mercer donated the fourth largest amount of money among individual donors, and the second most among Republican donors.[1] The Mercer Family Foundation, run by Mercer's daughter, Rebekah, has also donated to a variety of conservative causes.[1]

Mercer was the main financial backer of the Jackson Hole Summit, a conference that took place in Wyoming in August 2015 to advocate for the gold standard.[3] He has also supported Doctors for Disaster Preparedness and Fred Kelly Grant, an Idaho activist who encourages legal challenges to environmental laws.[3] Mercer has supported a campaign for the death penalty in Nebraska and funded ads in New York critical of the so-called "ground-zero mosque".[3] According to associates interviewed by Bloomberg, Mercer is concerned with the monetary and banking systems of the United States, which he believes are in danger from government meddling.[3]