Rebekah Mercer (donor)
| Rebekah Mercer | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 6, 1973 Yorktown Heights, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Stanford University (BS, MS) |
| Political party | Republican |
Rebekah "Bekah" Mercer is an American foundation director and Republican donor.
Mercer directs the Mercer Family Foundation and served on the Executive Committee of the transition team of United States President-elect Donald Trump. Mercer is the daughter of Diana Lynne (Dean) and billionaire hedge fund manager Robert Mercer. During the 2016 U.S. presidential primaries, Mercer led Keep the Promise I, a Super PAC which was the largest outside benefactor of Ted Cruz. Renamed Make America Number 1, it supported Donald Trump in the general election. She has consulted extensively with former Democratic strategist and pollster Patrick Caddell on campaigns. She also worked with Stephen Bannon to create the film Clinton Cash. In September 2016, Politico described her as "the most powerful woman in GOP politics."
Under Mercer's leadership, the family foundation increased its donations from $1.7 million in 2009 to $18.3 million in 2014, with $35 million going to conservative think tanks and policy groups in that time period.
Mercer has worked as a Wall Street trader at Renaissance Technologies, the hedge fund her father has helped lead, and, with her sisters, owned a gourmet cookie company, Ruby et Violette.
In the Trump transition, the Wall Street Journal reported that Mercer had helped in successfully lobbying against Mitt Romney as secretary of state and for Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general.Politico reported that some said she had not favored Corey Lewandowski as possible Republican National Committee chair and that Lewandowski had reportedly resisted paying for services from data firm Cambridge Analytica–a company funded by the Mercers–early in the campaign, though a close associate of Mercer's denied the stories. Paul Manafort, Kellyanne Conway's predecessor as campaign director, was also said to be critical of Cambridge Analytica, which had worked for Ted Cruz and was financially backed by the Mercers. Conway reportedly said that after the inauguration, the expectation was that Mercer was likely to lead an outside group, funded by her father, aimed at bolstering Mr. Trump’s agenda. It was assumed that Cambridge Analytica would also assist the group's efforts.
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