With Election Day less than a month away, Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, is set to return to the Bay Area on Wednesday for yet another fundraiser in an effort to bolster the Republican campaign war chest in the final stretch of the race for the White House.
According to the event invitation, the fundraiser will take place in the evening in Woodside, an affluent town on the Peninsula. However, few other details were provided.
The cost of attending the event is steep: $50,000 per couple will grant access to a roundtable discussion, photo opportunity and reception, according to the invite. For individuals, participation in the roundtable, a photo and reception access is priced at $25,000. A photo opportunity with access to the reception costs $15,000, and general admission is set at $3,300 per person.
Woodside is renowned for its sprawling estates, many owned by Silicon Valley’s wealthiest residents.
The host of the fundraiser remains unclear. A spokesperson for the San Mateo County Republican Party said she did not have information regarding who is hosting the event.
This visit is part of an ongoing push by Vance and his running mate at the top of the ticket, former President Donald Trump, to raise funds in the Bay Area, a region known for its deep pockets for both the GOP and Democrats, despite its largely liberal electorate.
Trump has made several trips to the area recently, attending high-dollar fundraisers with some of the region’s wealthiest donors.
Last month, Trump was the guest of honor at a fundraiser held at the Woodside home of tech billionaire Tom Siebel, who is related to Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
In June, Trump raised $12 million during an event at the home of San Francisco billionaire David Sacks. Vance, for his part, appeared at a fundraiser hosted by crypto billionaire Mike Belshe at the Four Seasons in East Palo Alto in late July.
The region is a hotbed for political fundraising for both parties. Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, a Bay Area native, campaigned in San Francisco in August and again last week, while Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential hopeful, was in Sacramento on Tuesday as part of a West Coast fundraising tour.
California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said of Walz’ visit, “Walz trades one failed California Democrat for another as Gavin Newsom hosts him to raise campaign cash in Sacramento.”
“The more time Walz spends in California with radical Democrats, the further away Kamala Harris’ and his already extreme agenda move from the American people,” she said.
In terms of fundraising, Harris has far outpaced Trump in California, raising $194 million compared to Trump’s $44.8 million, according to the latest data from OpenSecrets. While the Bay Area is not one of the top contributors to Trump’s campaign, the exclusive ZIP code of Los Altos has emerged as a major donor base, contributing $3 million to his efforts.
Despite Vance’s notable ties to Silicon Valley’s tech elite, including investors like Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, and Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk, the Republican campaign has yet to match Harris’ fundraising dominance in her home state.
Source: www.mercurynews.com