2.5 Million Ways to Buy this Contest: MacFarlane Went Big in 2018 Dem PAC

November 6th, 2018 2:32 PM

Celebrities don’t just participate in politics by putting on a show. Sometimes they add plenty of cash to their in-kind work nudging culture to the left.

Among the biggest Hollywood donors this cycle has been Seth MacFarlane, the self-proclaimed “humanist” (read “anti-Christian”) filmmaker who created Family Guy, Ted and A Million Ways to Die in the West. A Washington Post investigation and Open Secrets reveal that the funny man has been exercising his cash influence quite handsomely for the 2018 cycle.

According to the Post’s numbers, MacFarlane has donated $2,500,000 to “Democratic-leaning” super PACs for the 2018 elections, putting MacFarlane at the 45 spot among the Post’s top 50 super PAC donors. That may not seem too impressive, but within that list is not even one other actor or filmmaker -- the majority of the list is populated by executives, tycoons, and hedge-fund managers.

MacFarlane’s detail on Open Secrets shines a light on where his money has traveled - straight into the coffers of the Democratic party. Ninety percent of MacFarlane’s super PAC donations have been to the Senate Majority PAC, which aims to install Democratic power up and down national ballots largely by campaigning against Republicans, as their receipts indicate.