Democratic megadonor George Soros gave $18,000 to New York Attorney General Letitia James in July.
James, a Democrat, garnered national attention following her civil case against former President Donald Trump.
In that case, Trump and top executives at the Trump Organization were accused of conspiring to increase his net worth by billions of dollars on financial statements provided to banks and insurers to make deals and secure loans. Judge Arthur Engoron, who oversaw the case, sided with James and ordered the former president to pay a $355 million penalty, plus interest, in February. Trump has appealed and maintains his innocence, accusing her of targeting him for political purposes.
While that case has been key to James' tenure, she has also emphasized issues like protecting reproductive rights and gun safety laws since her first election in 2018. She has remained popular among Democrats, who support her work, but has been a top foe of Republicans, who feel her office unfairly targeted the former president.
Her work as attorney general earned her the support of Soros, a billionaire who has donated substantially to Democratic candidates and progressive causes over the years.
He donated $18,000 to James on July 10, according to New York state campaign finance data.
Newsweek reached out to Soros for comment via his online contact form.
Soros, 93, has long been a target for Republican attacks over his financial support for progressive causes. A Jewish Hungarian immigrant who survived the Holocaust as a child, he has frequently been the target of far-right and antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Soros' support for James has previously stoked conservative outrage, with Trump writing in a November 2023 Truth Social post that James has been "financially backed" by Soros. Critics have said claims that Soros is behind Trump's prosecution are antisemitic, and have pointed out he has the same rights to donate to political candidates as other Americans.
Meanwhile, James has not publicly revealed her future political plans. The New York attorney general's office does not have term limits, so James could run for a third term in 2026. James has also been named as a potential Democratic candidate to run for another office.
She briefly ran in the 2022 Democratic gubernatorial primary but withdrew from the race as the state party coalesced around incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul, who took the position after former Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned in 2021. Instead, James ran for reelection.
City and State New York, a local news publication, listed her as a potential gubernatorial candidate again, noting that fundraising could be "a little easier" after her legal victory against Trump.
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About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more
