Shares of buyout investor Harold Simmons' publicly traded holding company, Valhi, have climbed 158% year over year, boosting his net worth by $3.3 billion. A well-known Republican donor, he has given money to nearly all the candidates in the 2012 primaries, mainly through their super PACs. The University of Texas graduate began his career as a bank examiner before buying a single drug store near the SMU campus with $5,000 in cash and a $95,000 loan. After more than a decade of rapid expansion, Simmons sold his business to Eckerd Corporation for $50 million in 1973. At the time of the sale, Simmons' drug store chain had 100 locations across Texas. Today Simmons, through Valhi, has controlling interests in Kronos Worldwide, Titanium Metals Corporation, CompX International, and Keystone Consolidated Inc. A certified pilot, Simmons enjoys watching the NFL's Dallas Cowboys with team owner and fellow billionaire Jerry Jones; Simmons' luxury box is located right next to Jones'. [...] more
With casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson's $10 million gift, the tally of America's richest people donating to Mitt Romney-backing super PAC Restore Our Future is 32 -- or, 8% of the Forbes 400. Read on to see who joins Adelson on this growing list. [...] more>>
It's well known that super-rich donors tend to write their checks to right-leaning candidates. Still, the number of billionaires who've given to Restore Our Future, a Mitt Romney-backing super PAC, is staggering: 30, or 7.5% of the Forbes 400 list. [...] more>>
Karl Rove's pro-GOP political group has $100 million to spend on unseating Obama, with a goal of $240 million by November. But that's not the only reason the President should worry about American Crossroads. [...] more>>
At least 10% of the Forbes 400 has given to a super PAC so far this cycle, and you won't know most of them. [...] more>>
First casino magnate Sheldon Adelson came out swinging against Obama, saying he'll spend $100 million to see him unseated. Today, investor Harold Simmons pledged to give big. Meet 40 billionaires who're doing it on the down-low. [...] more>>
Apple gets hotter, Linsanity cools. [...] more>>
of ads was unreal,” Axelrod later said in an interview with Newsweek, “and it’s only going to get worse.” A lot worse, especially for Democrats, if current fundraising patterns continue as expected. Iowa and about a dozen other battleground states have never [...] more>>
