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On Wednesday, some of Silicon Valley's biggest names announced an effort to support Kamala Harris — and push back against the once-liberal enclave's rightward tilt.
More than 100 venture capitalists pledged to vote and gather donations for Harris, according to the newly launched website, VCsForKamala.org. Signatories include Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn founder; Mark Cuban, former owner of the Dallas Mavericks; and Ron Conway, so-called "super angel."
The committed venture capitalists represent approximately $150 billion in assets under management, Leslie Feinzaig, one of the principal organizers and managing director of the firm Graham & Walker, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"We are pro-business, pro-American dream, pro-entrepreneurship, and pro-technological progress," reads a statement on the website's homepage. "We also believe in democracy as the backbone of our nation." The statement says that strong institutions are integral to all industries and are "at stake in this election."
Below the statement, there is a link to sign the pledge and donate to Harris' campaign, and below that a list of signatories.
A group of right-wing venture capitalists have voiced support for Donald Trump and JD Vance, who was once a venture capitalist himself. Elon Musk and investors Marc Andreesen, Ben Horowitz, and David Sacks have been particularly vocal in the political conversation.
VCsForKamala was partly formed as a response to a firestorm of tweets from those supporting Trump, Feinzaig told the New York Times. She said that the group was a "grass-roots effort" that relied on a Google sign-up form and organic enthusiasm.
"They don't speak for me," she said of Musk and other right-wing Silicon Valley leaders. "They don't speak for most of us. And they don't speak for the founders."
Such opposition to the right-wing flank of the tech world was clear from the text of the initial sign-up form: "Let's show founders that not all V.C.s have turned MAGA."
Harris, who was born in Oakland and is known as a pro-business politician, has a more sustained connection to Silicon Valley than Biden did. Though Vance has been working to woo the region, Harris boasts high-profile friendships with some tech figures and has an opportunity to build momentum in the area.
Next month, Harris will travel to Silicon Valley for a fund-raising trip in her continued effort reclaim the region amid its rightward tilt.
