Paul Allen In Politics: He Funded Right, Left Causes

SEATTLE, WA - One of Paul Allen's last major political acts was giving $25,000 to a campaign opposed to Seattle's "head tax," which would have generated revenue to combat the homelessness crisis. Allen and those who opposed the head tax - everyone from Jeff Bezos to Fremont Brewing scion Sara Nelson - were harangued by homelessness activists for caring more about money than people.

But up until his death on Monday, Allen donated to countless campaigns and candidates, giving almost equally to Democrats and Republicans personally and through his company, Vulcan.

In 2018, he gave to the Seattle Chamber of Commerce's PAC and to the Seattle families and education levy campaign. In 2017, he personally donated to the campaigns of Nelson, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, former mayor Ed Murray, and Councilwoman M. Lorena Gonzalez.

At the state level, he's given to prominent Democrats like state Rep. Nicole Macri and state Sen. Kevin Ranker. But Vulcan money has made its way to Republicans, too. State Sen. Mark Schoesler got $1,000 in September, the state Republican Senate Campaign Committee got $1,000 in August.

Since 2010, Vulcan has given thousands to state Sen. Joe Fain, R-Renton, who was recently accused of rape (Fain denies the accusation). In 2016, state Rep. Matt Manweller, R-Ellensburg, got $500 from Vulcan. Manweller has been accused over the years of sexual misconduct, most recently by a woman who said she had a sexual relationship with Manweller when she was a minor in the 1990s.

In total, he's given about $305,000 to Democrats and $205,000 to Republicans in state races in Washington and Oregon since the year 2000, according to the campaign finance tracker Open Secrets.

Allen was also involved in federal politics. On Sept. 30, he gave $2,700 to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, according to federal campaign finance filings. But he also gave recently to Democratic Colorado U.S. Rep. Diana Digette.

And Allen's political legacy will live on. In May, he donated $1 million to the I-1639 campaign, which aims to tighten gun laws in the state. Voters favor approval of I-1639 by a margin of 59 to 34 percent, according to a recent Elway/Crosscut poll.

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