GOP Mega-Donor Implicated in Russia Probe Gives McDaniel $500,000 Boost
JACKSON — Mississippi State Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, received a $500,000 donation for his campaign for U.S. Senate thanks to GOP mega-donor Robert Mercer, the investor behind a firm that harvested the data of 50 million Facebook users during the 2016 election.
Mercer, a New York hedge-fund manager, donated $500,000 to the pro-McDaniel "Remember Mississippi" PAC on Oct. 2, new FEC filings show.
It's not the first large contribution from Mercer to the PAC. In 2017, he also donated $500,000 to the fundraising committee in anticipation that McDaniel would challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker.
McDaniel initially launched a bid to unseat Wicker in February, but switched races after former Sen. Thad Cochran retired in March. He is now challenging incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, whom Gov. Phil Bryant appointed to fill the vacancy in April.
Read more: http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2018/oct/26/gop-mega-donor-implicated-russia-probe-gives-mcdan/