No. 76: Capitol Weekly’s Top 100

76. Bill Bloomfield
L.A.-area businessman Bill Bloomfield has an interest in politics and he can afford it. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2012 as an independent against Henry Waxman, and his campaign spent some $7.9 million for the effort, almost all of it his own money. He lost, but ran a credible race, and he has been showing up increasingly since as a donor to moderate Democrats. Last year Bloomfield, a Manhattan Beach real estate entrepreneur, contributed nearly $8 million to various campaigns, including Democrat Marshall Tuck’s race for state schools superintendent and Ben Allen’s successful campaign for a Santa Monica Assembly seat. Bloomfield seemingly came from nowhere – one political consultant said he “never heard of him until Waxman” – but you can bet he’ll be around for a while and that he’ll play a significant role next year. (Ed’s Note: Corrects original to reflect Bloomfield donations to Democrats).

Updated Aug. 26, 2015