Mega-influence: These 42 dominate super PAC donations

WASHINGTON — Forty-two of the nation's superwealthy have donated nearly $200 million to super PACs to shape next week's midterm elections, according to a USA TODAY analysis of contributions of $1 million or more.

In all, this relatively small group has provided nearly a third of the more than $615 million raised by all super PACs in the 2014 election, the analysis of newly filed campaign reports shows.

Liberal environmentalist Tom Steyer dominates the field, having pumped more than $73 million into these amped-up political action committees. Most of his money has flowed to NextGen Climate Action, the super PAC the California billionaire created to make climate change a top priority in several key Senate and gubernatorial races.

Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has made gun control a top cause, is No. 2 at $20 million, nearly 65% of which has gone to the super PAC he created, Independence USA.

Bloomberg, a Republican-turned-independent, has donated to help two veteran Republicans survive primary challenges and has backed some Republicans in state-level contests. But the billionaire's giving has tilted toward Democrats in federal races. He has donated $2.5 million to the main super PAC working to help Democrats retain the Senate majority and another $1 million to Planned Parenthood's political arm.

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

"This is a handful of people who are really driving this train and driving the dialogue" of the midterm elections, said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. "This is a harbinger of things to come" in 2016, when the presidency is at stake.

Super PACs, which can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money as long as they operate independently of the candidates they support, are a potent force in politics. Dozens of them back individual candidates while others — such as Steyer's NextGen group — promote single causes and operate their own ground operations to turn out voters.

In all, super PACs have out-spent the national parties by more than $107 million through midday Tuesday, a tally by the Center for Responsive Politics shows.

"When you give money to a generic party, you don't necessarily get to direct how the money is being spent," said Saul Anuzis, a former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party. "I think donors are becoming more sophisticated. People are much more likely to want to decide how the money is spent."

The USA TODAY analysis highlights the small number of Republican-aligned megadonors who are banding together to bankroll a handful of super PACs at the forefront of GOP efforts to win control of the Senate. Republicans need to net six seats to take the majority in the chamber in January.

In recent weeks, for instance, six individuals have contributed both to American Crossroads, a super PAC affiliated with Republican strategist Karl Rove, and Ending Spending Action Fund, a super PAC created in 2010 by TD Ameritrade founder J. Joe Ricketts, who has made reining in government spending a top priority. Ricketts' son, Todd, now runs the super PAC.

The multiple givers include J. Joe Ricketts and hedge fund founder Paul Singer, a billionaire who contributed $9.3 million to 10 super PACs to emerge as the biggest Republican super PAC donor to date.

Nearly a third of Singer's donations have gone to American Unity PAC, a super PAC he founded to help elect Republicans who support gay rights. Singer also gave a combined $5 million to Crossroads and Ending Spending.

Crossroads is one of the biggest Republican players in the midterms, spending more than $20 million — first to help mainstream Republican candidates beat back Tea Party-affiliated challengers during competitive primaries earlier this year and now blistering Democrats on the airwaves during the home stretch to Election Day.

The group's leaders believe its early spending has guarded against a repeat of the 2010 and 2012 elections when Tea Party-aligned Senate candidates won key GOP primaries in states such as Delaware, Nevada and Missouri only to flame out in the general election.

A slew of recent polls show momentum building for a Republican takeover of the Senate.

"That investment has paid dividends," said Crossroads' spokesman Paul Lindsay. "The support we've received recently" from donors "is a sign of the progress we have made in the last two years."

Another prominent hedge funder — Bob Mercer, co-CEO of Renaissance Technologies — is the No. 4 super PAC donor of the election, the analysis found. He has contributed more than $8 million to Republican groups, including Ending Spending.

Only one woman donated more than $2 million to super PACs in this cycle: former wrestling executive Linda McMahon. She has contributed more than $2.6 million to nine groups, including Crossroads and Ending Spending. McMahon, a Republican, ran unsuccessfully for the Senate from Connecticut in 2010 and 2012.

Mercer, McMahon, Ricketts and Singer all declined to comment on their political activity through their aides.

At least one megadonor isn't shying away from promoting his political spending. On Tuesday, Steyer announced a new round of roughly $500,000 in digital and TV ads that will air in six states and in Washington during prime time and the World Series.

The 30-second commercial, narrated by actor Woody Harrelson, compares people who express skepticism about climate change to those who believed the Earth was flat and urges voters to toss "science-denying politicians out of office" on Nov. 4.