Silicon Valley Clinton Donor Pumps 250k Into ‘Republican’ Senator’s Campaign

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Jul 14, 2018
Sean Parker, co-founder of Napster Inc. and managing partner of the Founders Fund, listens during a television interview on day three of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. The 42nd annual meeting of the World Economic Forum will be attended by about 2,600 political, business and financial leaders at the five-day conference. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

An old name in Silicon Valley circles and Democrat politics has become a driving force for the election of a recently-appointed Republican U.S. Senator from Mississippi.

Sean Parker, billionaire founder of Napster, the online file sharing service, and early investor in Facebook, has donated $250,000 to the Victory Fund PAC, aimed at getting Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) elected, according to Pro Publica.

Parker was a large Hillary Clinton donor, too. According to the New York Times, he “gave nearly $300,000 to a joint fund-raising committee for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and dozens of state Democratic parties.”

Hyde-Smith now claims to be a Republican, but she is still accepting money from leftist donors, and has a long track record of supporting major Democrat players, including actively supporting twice-failed presidential candidate Hillary R. Clinton in 2008.

“No one should be surprised that Cindy Hyde-Smith voted for Hillary Clinton,” said Tanner Watson, spokesman for conservative populist candidate Chris McDaniel, who is Hyde-Smith’s main opponent. “She voted exclusively in Democratic primaries before opportunistically switching parties to run for statewide office in 2011. Why wouldn’t she have voted for Hillary? Thankfully, Mississippians have an opportunity to right this wrong in November by electing Chris McDaniel, the only lifelong Republican and true conservative in the race.””

Hyde-Smith was appointed by Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant in March to fill the vacant seat left by Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) after his retirement. President Donald J. Trump did not support the appointment, and will not endorse or campaign for Hyde-Smith.

Parker has a long history supporting “moderate Republicans” against more conservative opponents, and has previously been involved in Mississippi politics.

“His money was a big factor in keeping a Senate seat in the hands of Thad Cochran, a moderate Republican from Mississippi whose 2014 reelection bid was threatened by a tea party insurgent,” according to the  LA Times. “He helps Republicans cozy with the Chamber of Commerce fend off tea party insurgents through another PAC. He gives generously to Democratic Party accounts. He opened his house to Clinton donors.”
Considering the line between “moderate Republican” and Democrat is thin, and that Hyde-Smith used to be a Democrat herself, Parker’s intervention on her behalf is troubling.
In any case, Hyde-Smith is no friend to Trump. If she were, she would not have to outsource her fundraising to Silicon Valley, but rather would receive the blessing of the GOP.
She will square off with populist tea party candidate State Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Ellisville) and two Democrats in a special nonpartisan election on November 6.