Sergey Brin Backs Republican Candidate in LA Mayoral Race
Google co-founder Sergey Brin has joined a list of notable tech figures supporting Republicans, recently donating $1,800 to Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt on May 27, as reported in city campaign finance records. The tech industry is seeing several prominent contributors backing various mayoral hopefuls, including leaders from Palantir, SpaceX, TikTok, and more.
Pratt, who identifies as a Republican, is participating in a nonpartisan race to become the mayor of Los Angeles.
This donation from Brin could be expected, considering his recent critical stance toward the California Democratic Party, particularly regarding their advocacy for higher taxes on billionaires. He has also expressed support for the Trump administration’s approach to artificial intelligence, noting how it favored companies rather than opposing them.
Interestingly, Sofia Richie’s husband, Jeanie Buss, is also reported to support Pratt in his mayoral campaign.
The support Brin has shown adds a local dimension to a broader trend within the tech industry, which has shifted politically during the 2024 election cycle. An increasing number of tech leaders are backing Republicans amid ongoing debates about taxes and artificial intelligence policy. The LA mayoral race has become a significant representation of this national trend, with Brin and others backing conservative candidates in a traditionally liberal city.
Moreover, the Winklevoss twins, who gained fame for their legal battles with Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, have transitioned to crypto and broader tech investments and have become substantial contributors to the Republican Party as of 2024.
Alongside the Winklevoss brothers, other tech investors supporting Trump include David Sachs, Marc Andreessen, and Elon Musk, the world’s richest man.
Since Trump assumed office, many tech companies have taken steps to align with his administration. Notably, Amazon, Apple, Google, and Meta contributed to the construction of a ballroom at the White House. Meanwhile, Microsoft and other tech firms supported Trump’s inaugural fund before his presidency.
This alignment is surprising given that the tech industry was once a major opponent of Trump, often being accused by his allies of suppressing free speech and favoring Democrats, especially during controversies surrounding Hunter Biden’s laptop.
As the LA mayoral race gains intensity, incumbent Democratic Mayor Karen Bass has drawn parallels between Pratt and Trump. While tech leaders appear to be shifting toward Republican support, general public sentiment still leans heavily Democratic. Records show that while tech employees donated more to Republicans in 2024 than in past cycles, the bulk of their contributions still favored Democrats.
In recent years, some tech executives have even dined with Trump at the White House and Mar-a-Lago, with a few, like Sachs and Musk, obtaining formal roles in his administration.
While there’s no indication that Musk has financially supported Pratt’s campaign, he has openly backed him on social media.
Pratt is set to compete in a bipartisan primary against incumbent Democratic Mayor Karen Bass and Democratic Socialists of America City Councilwoman Nisya Raman, with the election scheduled for Tuesday.
Neither Google nor the Pratt campaign provided comments on this developing situation.
