Hypocrite lefty Democratic Socialists of America–aligned candidates are hauling in cash from billionaire donors — even as their campaign messaging thunders against the ultra-rich they claim to oppose.
A DSA-LA email blast urging Angelenos to back candidates who will “fight against ICE, billionaires and the Trump administration” directly contradicts the fundraising efforts of some of the candidates.
The glossy e-flyer — which also pushed supporters to RSVP to Wednesday’s Sen. Bernie Sanders ‘touting a tax on the ultra-rich’Billionaire Tax’ rally — casts the movement as a populist uprising against elite power.
However, public records show several of the same candidates have been bankrolled by donors from the very billionaire class they rail against.
Lefty Los Angeles City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez’s donor list includes billionaire-connected names from some of the country’s wealthiest families.
Among them: Philanthropist Susan Pritzker, who married into the Hyatt hotel fortune. Records on the Los Angeles City Ethics website show Pritzker contributed $500 in 2025, after earlier donations of $500 in 2023 and again during Hernandez’s initial 2021 campaign.
Patty Quillin — billionaire Democratic mega donor and wife of Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings — also appears as a repeat contributor. Filings show Quillin has written multiple checks to Hernandez.
Another high-profile name: Elizabeth Simons, heir to the late hedge-fund titan Jim Simons’ multibillion-dollar fortune. The progressive megadonor has also contributed to Hernandez, according to ethics filings.
The billionaire-adjacent money doesn’t stop with one campaign.
Quillin’s donations extend to other DSA-aligned candidates, including Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez and newly elected lefty Ysabel Jurado, who have also received checks from the same deep-pocketed donor network.
In all, Simons has contributed $59,500 to DSA-aligned candidates since 2022. Pritzker has donated $76,800 to Los Angeles elections since 2021, including support for Mayor Karen Bass. Quinlin has contributed $173,200 to L.A. races over the same period, including $35,000 to Eunisses Hernandez through the PAC Communities in Support of Eunisses Hernandez for City Council 2022.
The influx of high-dollar support has helped DSA-aligned campaigns build formidable war chests. Hernandez has raised $213,727 so far, leading her field. Challenger Maria Lou Calanche has brought in $134,710, while Raul Claros trails with $60,813.
Soto-Martinez has also opened a sizable fundraising gap in his reelection bid, reporting $109,189.27 compared with roughly $29,048 for his nearest challenger.
In the City Attorney race, DSA-aligned candidate Marissa Roy has amassed $462,664.39, positioning her as a major contender against incumbent Hydee Feldstein Soto, who reports $686,334.51 in campaign funds.