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Bill & Melinda Get Political

Among the under-appreciated stories of modern politics is how key relationships with a Silicon Valley benefactor or two can transform long-shot candidates into bonafide contenders. And with more money than ever, tech titans are discovering new battlefields to assert their will.

Bill and Melinda Gates
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty
Theodore Schleifer
January 4, 2022

It is January, and it is officially an election year. One of the big questions I’ve been reporting on over the last 18 months or so is whether Silicon Valley is done with politics—or is it just getting started? Donald Trump is no longer on the ballot, at least this fall, but there are a few telltale down ballot campaigns on my radar. They’re not the typical races that national media outlets will be covering, but they are races where, for one reason or another, some of the tech industry’s most influential players are asserting their will.