By Clare O'Connor
It's no secret that the super-rich have been more inclined to write checks to right-wing candidates so far this election cycle.
As of Sunday, at least 30 billionaires -- 7.5% of the Forbes 400 -- had donated money to Restore Our Future, a Mitt Romney-backing super PAC, either personally, through their companies or both.
Restore Our Future's monthly report included four new billionaire names -- that is, wealthy donors who hadn't given to the group previously, but have now decided to cough up.
The latest Forbes rich listers to give big towards a Romney win: vulture investor Wilbur Ross ($100,000), oil and gas pioneer Harold Hamm ($985,000), Leslie Wexner of The Limited clothing chain ($250,000), and Gristedes supermarkets head John Catsimatidis, who gave $50,000 via his United Refining oil company.
The other 26 billionaires backing Restore Our Future are:
-Hedge fund king Louis Bacon, who's handed over $500,000 so far.
- Jim Davis, who made his fortune with New Balance sneakers and has donated $1 million.
-Citadel hedge fund chief Ken Griffin has handed over $2.85 million since December.
-Greenwich-based hedge funder Paul Tudor-Jones II kicked in $200,000.
-New York investor Thomas Kaplan wrote a check for $100,000.
-While neither Charles nor David Koch has given publicly to a Romney-backing super PAC this cycle, David’s twin brother Bill, “the other Koch”, has given $2 million total, both personally and via his Oxbow Carbon company.
-New York hedge funder Bruce Kovner opened his wallet to the tune of $500,000.
-Leveraged buyout pioneer Henry Kravis followed suit with a $100,000 gift.
- Hotel heirs Bill and Richard Marriott have given $1 million each to the cause.
- Hedge fund titan John Paulson spent a tiny fraction of the $12.5 billion fortune he made shorting subprime securities, donating $1 million.
- Little-known TV tycoon Jerrold Perenchio handed over $500,000.
- Legendary Tiger Management hedge fund founder Julian Robertson has given $1.25 million so far.
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- The two titans of New York real estate, Stephen Ross and Steven Roth, have written checks for $100,0oo apiece.
- Low-profile co-founder of buyout shop Apollo Global Management Marc Rowan has handed over $115,000.
- Robert Rowling, a perennial but little-known conservative donor, has donated $100,000.
- New Forbes World's Billionaires list member Paul Singer, founder of Elliott Management and long-time equal rights advocate, has given $1 million to date.
- Hedge funder David Tepper has thrown his hat in the ring with a $375,000 gift.
- Heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune Jim Walton and sister Alice Walton have pitched in $200,000 each.
- One-time California gubernatorial candidate and eBay billionaire Meg Whitman handed over $100,000, as did her neurosurgeon husband Griff Harsh.
- Chicago property baron Sam Zell has shelled out $100,000.
- Joseph Craft of the billionaire coal family has donated $500,000.
- Founder of eponymous brokerage firm Charles Schwab, who -- together with wife Helen -- has given $250,000.
- Last but not least, Texan super-donor Harold Simmons has handed over $800,000 to Restore Our
Future -- a tiny fraction of the millions he's donated to right-leaning groups this cycle, with the lion's share going to Karl Rove's American Crossroads super PAC. He's pledged to give $36 million of his $9 billion fortune to unseating Obama this election.
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