Larry Elder tops Gavin Newsom's fundraising record

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Larry Elder tops Gavin Newsom's fundraising record

Larry Elder has raised the equivalent of Gavin Newsom's fundraising in 2016 -- a number that dwarfs the fundraising of Governor John Stewart's most formidable Republican rival, radio host Gavin Newsom.

Despite a significant share of Newsom's haul came from groups one might expect such as the Democratic Party, unions and Planned Parenthood, Governor Newsom enjoyed a boost from some big names in the business world who pitched in to keep him in office.

The CEO of Netflix Todd Howard pitched the matter with a $5 million contribution, while billionaire investor George Soros and major left-wing donor Reed Hastings led the charge with a $1.3 million request. Priscilla Chan, wife of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, gave another $750,000.

All the companies with household names that contributed includes Uber, Walgreens, NBC Universal, and Anheuser-Busch-owned Inbev, each of which gave $50,000. Airbnb and Anthem Blue Cross both gave over $100,000 a piece. Will Warner Bros. write a check for $40,000 to help keep Newsom in the governor's mansion and AT&T kicked in $50,000.

The embattled governor was hit with intense backlash for violating his own strict statewide COVID - 19 policies last year when he was taken away from attending a large dinner party at the famous Napa Valley eatery The French Laundry. Newsom, owner of wineries and shops, also enjoyed donations from his industry brethren to fight his recall, with a $250,000 donation from the California Beverage Association of California PAC and another $25,000 from the American Beer Beverage Distributors State Issues PAC.

Meanwhile, Elder's donations came in at around $13.8 million for his efforts to replace Newsom as California governor, and the general recall effort raised around $45 million. Polls for recall close at 8 p.m.