Amidst a period of rancor and discord, billionaires are taking over U.S. politics

NEW YORK, November 21 (C'est Vrai) — After Citizens United, billionaires increased donations in political races. In successive election cycles, the spending kept reaching record amounts. A special investigation by the Washington Post brings to the fore the top 20 billionaires, who are influencing elections. At the same time, some political candidates are turned off by the rise of money in politics, including Curtis Sliwa, who reportedly declined a $10 million payoff to drop out of the New York City's mayor's race.

Further Reading :

• How billionaires took over American politics [The Washington Post]
  Nov. 21, 2025 — The concentration of wealth among the richest Americans is unlike anything in history — and so is billionaires’ influence in politics.
• The top 20 billionaires influencing American politics [The Washington Post]
  Nov. 21, 2025 — Campaign donations from the country’s richest are soaring. But only 12 percent of the public says billionaires have a positive impact on society.
• Why Curtis Sliwa Stayed in the Race—and the Billionaires Who Tried to Buy Him Out [Time]
  Nov. 16, 2025 — In the final stretch of the New York City mayoral campaign, Curtis Sliwa says he was offered $10 million by a group of unnamed billionaires to drop out of the race and clear the way for Andrew Cuomo—so great was their fear of a Zohran K. Mamdani victory.

Key Words :

• Curtis Sliwa
• Howard W. Lutnick
• Jeff Yass
• John Catsimatidis
• Reid Hoffman
• Zohran K. Mamdani