The Trump-endorsed Sheehy has a lead in a Senate race that could determine control of the chamber.
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
“You have a very important job to do,” Tim Sheehy, the GOP candidate for Senate in a tight Montana race, told a roaring Bozeman crowd in August. “If Donald Trump gets to the White House and doesn’t have a Senate, he’s not going to get things done—you need to deliver him a Senate by retiring Jon Tester!” Trump took the stage soon after. “I got to like Tim Sheehy a lot to be here, I have to tell you,” the New York-born billionaire said. “He better win.”
Behind the scenes, there are plenty more billionaires who like Tim Sheehy, too—enough to put big bucks behind him. examined Federal Election Commission records for every group that has backed Sheehy or opposed Tester in the high-stakes race. In all, 12 billionaires have given more than $1 million to those groups since 2023.
Some, like hedge funder Ken Griffin, have donated to organizations that are focused on Montana in particular. In 2023, Griffin sent $5 million to a group called “More Jobs, Less Government” that has poured almost $11 million into defeating Tester as of the latest filings. In May, Griffin cut a $1 million check to the Sentinel Action Fund, a group that splits its cash between Montana and Ohio, another red state with an incumbent Democrat trying to hold onto his seat. (A spokesperson for the group added that they have also been spending on get-out-the-vote measures in Pennsylvania and Nevada, which, unlike ads, do not always appear in the same FEC data.) “Tim Sheehy shares my priorities to promote freedom and deliver real results for hardworking families,” Griffin wrote in a statement to . “America will be well served if talented leaders and veterans like Tim are elected to serve in the Senate.”
Other billionaires have become big backers of Sheehy because they are major donors to conservative groups that are spending cash all across the country. Americans for Prosperity Action, for example, is an established right-wing group that has put more than $3 million behind Sheehy as of its latest filings—but also supports Republican candidates in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin, and spent more than $31 million backing Nikki Haley over Donald Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination. The group’s biggest donors, who are thus some of Sheehy’s biggest donors, this cycle have been members of the Walton family and two organizations linked to Charles Koch. “Our staff and volunteers have been canvassing across the state for nearly a year,” Jesse Ramos, an advisor to Americans for Prosperity Action, told . “It’s time to usher in a new era of leadership.”
Monica Robinson, a spokesperson for the Tester campaign, wrote that Sheehy’s donors “want to turn Montana into their personal playground.” Sheehy’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Big checks, especially in a small state like Montana, can make a big difference. In this case, they’re helping Sheehy, a businessman and former Navy SEAL who has put almost $2.5 million of his own money into his campaign, maintain his small polling lead, even as Tester—a farmer who leans into his rural roots in ads and has declined to endorse Kamala Harris in the presidential race—pulls in support from billionaires of his own.
Here’s every member of the billionaires list who has donated at least $1 million to groups backing Sheehy’s bid for the Senate since 2023:
Amount contributed to pro-Sheehy groups: $65 million
Net worth: $67.5 billion (includes family)
Source of wealth: Koch, Inc.
Koch Industries (now Koch, Inc. after a rebrand in August) and Stand Together Chamber of Commerce, respectively run and founded by Charles Koch, have poured money into Americans for Prosperity Action, a longstanding conservative super PAC.
Amount contributed: $25 million
Net worth: $267 billion
Source of wealth: Walmart
The three children of Walmart cofounder Sam Walton have also given to AFP Action—$10 million each from Jim and Rob and $5 million from Alice—this cycle.
Amount contributed: $6 million
Net worth: $43 billion
Source of wealth: hedge fund
Griffin has sent checks to More Jobs, Less Government and the Sentinel Action Fund, both super PACs focused on Montana (and, in Sentinel’s case, Ohio too). He also sent $6,600 to Sheehy’s campaign directly.
Amount contributed: $5 million
Net worth: $45.4 billion
Source of wealth: investing
On top of $5 million to More Jobs, Less Government—$4.6 million of which he gave in June—the Blackstone cofounder and his wife, Christine, have both given $9,900 to Sheehy directly.
Amount contributed: $4 million
Net worth: Close to $1 billion
Source of wealth: inheritance, railroads
The grandson of Gilded Age banking titan Andrew Mellon, he wrote a check for $4 million to the Sentinel Action Fund in March.
Amount contributed: $2 million
Net worth: $12.8 billion
Source of wealth: insurance
Patrick Ryan and his wife, Shirley, each gave $500,000 to AFP Action in December 2023 and January 2024, for a total of $2 million. They’ve also both sent $20,000 to the Montana state GOP. He declined to comment through a spokesperson.
Amount contributed: $1.8 million
Net worth: $2.4 billion
Source of wealth: sandwich chain
The founder of the Jimmy John’s sandwich chain and his wife Leslie have spread their donations across multiple groups. The bulk, $1.6 million, went to Sentinel Action Fund. But the Montana state Republican party, Sheehy’s campaign itself and a joint fundraising committee tied to Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy have also seen contributions. Liautaud declined to comment.
Amount contributed: $1.75 million
Net worth: $6.2 billion
Source of wealth: hedge fund
Singer has sent $1 million to More Jobs, Less Government, $750,000 to the Sentinel Action Fund and $6,600 directly to Sheehy’s campaign.
Amount contributed: $1.5 million
Net worth: $6.9 billion
Source of wealth: hedge fund
Druckenmiller sent AFP Action a total of $1.5 million in 2023, but hasn’t made any public donations this year.
Amount contributed: $1.25 million
Net worth: $45.2 billion
Source of wealth: digital trading
Peterffy cut a $1 million check to the Sentinel Action Fund and sent another $250,000 to the Cornyn Victory Committee, a joint fundraising outfit associated with Texas Sen. John Cornyn that has distributed over $200,000 to Sheehy. He declined to comment.
Amount contributed: $1.15 million
Net worth: $4.6 billion
Source of wealth: real estate
The son of former independent presidential candidate and late billionaire Ross Perot (d. 2019), Perot Jr. and his wife—both Texans—have given more than $1 million to the Cornyn Victory Committee this cycle.
Amount contributed: $1 million
Net worth: $6.7 billion
Source of wealth: construction, mining
Most of the Warrens’ donations have gone to the Cornyn Victory Committee, but Kelcy also sent $50,000 to More Jobs, Less Government and $10,000 to the Montana state GOP.
