Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign rally in Queensbridge Park on October 19, 2019 in Queens, New York City. (Photo: Bauzen/GC Images)
Nov 11, 2019
Sen. Bernie Sanders has made principled opposition to billionaire campaign donations a centerpiece of his 2020 presidential bid. So when the Vermont senator's campaign learned recently that it received a $470 contribution from Marta Thoma Hall, it immediately vowed to return every dollar.
Hall, wife of billionaire inventor David Hall and head of business development at Velodyne, was not happy with Sanders' refusal to accept her money.
"I think it's disappointing," Hall toldForbes on Monday. "I don't understand why they would do that. That's ridiculous."
Grassroots group People for Bernie tweeted in response to Hall:
\u201cWhat's ridiculous is billionaires existing.\u201d— People for Bernie (@People for Bernie) 1573565103
After reviewing federal filings, Forbes reported that it "could not find any other billionaire or spouse of a billionaire who has donated to the Sanders' campaign" aside from Hall, who also gave $505 to Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and $685 to Beto O'Rourke, who dropped out of the race earlier this month.
When Forbes notified the Sanders campaign of Hall's contributions, a Sanders spokesperson responded: "Thanks. We are returning Ms. Hall's contributions."
Prior to Hall's $470 check, Sanders stood alone in the 2020 Democratic field as the only major candidate who had not received any campaign contributions from billionaires.
"I don't think that billionaires should exist," Sanders told the New York Times in September. "Enough is enough. We are going to take on the billionaire class, substantially reduce wealth inequality in America, and stop our democracy from turning into a corrupt oligarchy."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sen. Bernie Sanders has made principled opposition to billionaire campaign donations a centerpiece of his 2020 presidential bid. So when the Vermont senator's campaign learned recently that it received a $470 contribution from Marta Thoma Hall, it immediately vowed to return every dollar.
Hall, wife of billionaire inventor David Hall and head of business development at Velodyne, was not happy with Sanders' refusal to accept her money.
"I think it's disappointing," Hall toldForbes on Monday. "I don't understand why they would do that. That's ridiculous."
Grassroots group People for Bernie tweeted in response to Hall:
\u201cWhat's ridiculous is billionaires existing.\u201d— People for Bernie (@People for Bernie) 1573565103
After reviewing federal filings, Forbes reported that it "could not find any other billionaire or spouse of a billionaire who has donated to the Sanders' campaign" aside from Hall, who also gave $505 to Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and $685 to Beto O'Rourke, who dropped out of the race earlier this month.
When Forbes notified the Sanders campaign of Hall's contributions, a Sanders spokesperson responded: "Thanks. We are returning Ms. Hall's contributions."
Prior to Hall's $470 check, Sanders stood alone in the 2020 Democratic field as the only major candidate who had not received any campaign contributions from billionaires.
"I don't think that billionaires should exist," Sanders told the New York Times in September. "Enough is enough. We are going to take on the billionaire class, substantially reduce wealth inequality in America, and stop our democracy from turning into a corrupt oligarchy."
Sen. Bernie Sanders has made principled opposition to billionaire campaign donations a centerpiece of his 2020 presidential bid. So when the Vermont senator's campaign learned recently that it received a $470 contribution from Marta Thoma Hall, it immediately vowed to return every dollar.
Hall, wife of billionaire inventor David Hall and head of business development at Velodyne, was not happy with Sanders' refusal to accept her money.
"I think it's disappointing," Hall toldForbes on Monday. "I don't understand why they would do that. That's ridiculous."
Grassroots group People for Bernie tweeted in response to Hall:
\u201cWhat's ridiculous is billionaires existing.\u201d— People for Bernie (@People for Bernie) 1573565103
After reviewing federal filings, Forbes reported that it "could not find any other billionaire or spouse of a billionaire who has donated to the Sanders' campaign" aside from Hall, who also gave $505 to Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and $685 to Beto O'Rourke, who dropped out of the race earlier this month.
When Forbes notified the Sanders campaign of Hall's contributions, a Sanders spokesperson responded: "Thanks. We are returning Ms. Hall's contributions."
Prior to Hall's $470 check, Sanders stood alone in the 2020 Democratic field as the only major candidate who had not received any campaign contributions from billionaires.
"I don't think that billionaires should exist," Sanders told the New York Times in September. "Enough is enough. We are going to take on the billionaire class, substantially reduce wealth inequality in America, and stop our democracy from turning into a corrupt oligarchy."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.