James Murdoch, son of Fox Corp. owner Rupert Murdoch, and his wife have donated $1.23 million to Joe Biden’s Democratic presidential campaign.
The couple each gave $615,000 to the Biden Victory Fund in June, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Kathryn Murdoch, James Murdoch’s wife, is “increasingly giving to Democrats this cycle, including $1 million to help Senate Democrats,” The Washington Post reported last month.
Murdoch left the family business last March after losing a succession race to his more conservative brother, Lachlan Murdoch.
- Since then, he and Kathryn Murdoch have become more outspoken about their relatively liberal political views, and have publicly criticized Fox News.
- James Murdoch in October publicly endorsed Pete Buttigieg in the Democratic presidential primary after giving the maximum allowed contribution, $2,800, to his campaign.
- At the same event, he said he no longer watches Fox News, which his father has temporarily helmed.
Rupert Murdoch’s wife, Jerry Hall, also sent a $500 check to Biden’s campaign in May after previously donating $1,000 to Buttigieg in the primary.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and some of his supporters have questioned Fox News' right-wing bona fides.
Biden out-raised Trump in May and June, but the Republican still had a more than $50 million advantage coming into July.
The Murdoch patriarch, who has personally contributed over $500,000 to federal political causes since 1987, has so far kept his wallet and his mouth shut in 2020.
- According to a Vanity Fair report last month, he has begun to doubt Trump’s reelection prospects.
Murdoch actively opposed his fellow business titan's 2016 campaign before belatedly getting on the bandwagon.
