Obama Still Has Well-Heeled Friends on Wall Street

Not all hedge funders are switching to Team Romney. True, 70% of hedge fund employee money has gone to Republicans in the 2012 election cycle, up from 33% in 2008, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, and Mitt Romney's list of bundlers includes at least 31 industry names. But at least 25 people involved in hedge funds (including investors in them) are fundraising for Barack Obama, according to an analysis of names released by the campaign for the second quarter.

Several big new fundraisers and donors have joined the list compiled by AR in October. They include Scott Nathan, managing director and chief Risk officer at Boston-based Baupost Group, who has bundled at least $500,000; Lynn Meredith, wife of Austin-based fund of funds Meritage Capital founder Tom Meredith ($50,000-$100,000); Wim Kooyker, chairman of New Jersey-based Blenheim Capital Management ($50,000-$100,000); and Jim Chanos of New York-based Kynikos Associates ($200,000 to $500,000).

They join the list of Obama boosters that includes long-time Democratic donors David Shaw, founder of New York-based D. E. Shaw & Co. ($200,000-$500,000); Orin Kramer of New York-based Boston Provident ($500,000+); Marc Lasry of New York-based Avenue Capital Group ($100,000-$200,000); Eric Mindich of New York-based Eton Park Capital Management ($50,000-$100,000); and Tom Steyer of San Francisco-based Farallon Capital Management ($50,000-$100,000).

Below are hedge fund industry names AR found on Obama's list of bundlers as of the end of June, combined with a list from the Center for Responsive Politics that includes total political donations to all federal candidates, parties and political action committees since 1990-a combined $13.6 million.

Name

Alice & Bill Mahoney

Michael Sacks

Stephen Robert

Tom Steyer

Naomi Aberly (wife of ex-HBK chairman Larry Lebowitz)

Lynn Meredith (wife of Meritage Capital founder Tom Meredith)

Judith-Ann Corrente & Wim Kooyker

Joseph Gutman

Employer	City	State	Minimum	Maximum	Contributions since 1990
Scott Nathan	Baupost Group	Boston	MA	$500,000	Undisclosed	$1,002,699
Marc Lasry	Avenue Capital	New York	NY	$500,000	Undisclosed	$849,906
Orin Kramer	Boston Provident	New York	NY	$500,000	Undisclosed	$656,230
Hamilton James	Blackstone Group	New York	NY	$500,000	Undisclosed	$344,250
Les Coney	Mesirow Financial	Chicago	IL	$500,000	Undisclosed	$54,468
Brian Mathis	Provident Group	New York	NY	$500,000	Undisclosed	$7,900
Beth & David Shaw	DE Shaw Research	New York	NY	$200,000	$500,000	$1,181,648
Frank Brosens	Taconic Capital Advisors	New York	NY	$200,000	$500,000	$736,175
James Chanos	Kynikos Associates	New York	NY	$200,000	$500,000	$687,900
Investor (ex-Bridgewater Associates)	New Canaan	CT	$200,000	$500,000	$674,126
Jim Torrey	Torrey Funds	Greenwich	CT	$200,000	$500,000	$498,940
Jonathan Burgstone	Symbol Capital	San Francisco	CA	$200,000	$500,000	$135,650
Grosvenor Capital Management	Winnetka	IL	$200,000	$500,000	$12,000
Source of Hope Foundation (ex-Renaissance Technologies)	New York	NY	$100,000	$200,000	$593,363
Cappy McGarr	McGarr Capital	Dallas	TX	$100,000	$200,000	$445,300
Chad Leat	Citigroup	New York	NY	$100,000	$200,000	$129,050
Jewelle Bickford	Genspring Family Offices	New York	NY	$100,000	$200,000	$27,400
Farallon Capital Management	San Francisco	CA	$50,000	$100,000	$1,166,850
TIFF Advisory Services	Dallas	TX	$50,000	$100,000	$933,133
Meredith Family Investments	Austin	TX	$50,000	$100,000	$830,274
Blenheim Capital Management	New York	NY	$50,000	$100,000	$829,208
Grosvenor Capital Management	Chicago	IL