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Saban’s $1 million super PAC check was made out to a Democratic super PAC called Unity 2012. That organization split the donation between three Democratic PACs, one supporting House candidates, one supporting Senate candidates and one supporting Obama’s re-election.
Saban’s June donation marked his first to support a pro-Obama super PAC. He gave the maximum allowed donation of $5,000 to Obama’s campaign committee last December.
Compared with Saban, Jacobs, 78, is a relatively low-profile political figure. Better known for his philanthropy, Jacobs, along with his wife, is a major backer of the San Diego Symphony, among other causes.
Jacobs’s $2 million donation to the pro-Obama Priorities USA Action, made June 11, is one of the two largest yet made to the super PAC. The only other $2 million donation is from DreamWorks Animation founder Jeffrey Katzenberg, who has spearheaded fundraising for the group.
The donations from Katzenberg and Jacobs, both of whom are Jewish, make up 20% of the total raised by Priorities USA Action.
Other major new super PAC donations from Jewish donors in recent months have largely been on the Republican side. The $10 million from Adelson and his wife has already received heavy press coverage. The Adelsons also gave a less-noticed $5 million donation to a super PAC linked to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
Bruce Kovner, a hedge fund manager and longtime backer of conservative causes, also gave to the Cantor super PAC. Kovner and his wife gave a total of $300,000.
Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at nathankazis@forward.com or on Twitter @joshnathankazis
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