Tech billionaire Larry Ellison gave a massive $15 million donation to a super PAC aligned with Sen. Tim Scott (RS.C.) in January, one of the biggest political donations of the 2022 election cycle so far.
The contribution, detailed in a new finance campaign filing from Opportunity Matters Fund, is the latest — and largest — step in a budding political relationship between the senator and the Oracle chair. Ellison was already the pro-Scott super PAC’s biggest supporter, having given a pair of donations totaling $10 million in 2020 and 2021. Scott traveled to Ellison’s Hawaii home on Lanai Island last year for a meeting, POLITICO reported.
Scott’s growing support from Ellison and other megadonors has stirred speculation about a potential bid for president in the future, as has his high-powered fundraising for his 2022 reelection campaign. But Ellison’s money also positions Opportunity Matters Fund to be a major player in the midterm elections.
The group finished January with more than $20 million in the bank, according to its FEC filing. So far, the super PAC has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on ads backing House candidate Wesley Hunt, a Black Army veteran running for a new district in Texas, which has primaries on March 1.