A billionaire megadonor with ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein gave $1 million to a Democratic group supporting DFL U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s campaign for governor.
According to campaign finance reports, the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) received a $1 million donation from Reid Hoffman in March of this year.
In March, the Daily Caller reported that travel records show Hoffman stayed at Epstein’s now-infamous island in November of 2014. This was after Epstein had already pleaded guilty to sex crimes in 2008 and was ordered to register as a sex offender.
Hoffman, who was raising money for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at the time of his island visit, has since said he was told Epstein was more likely to donate to MIT if he went to the island with then-Director of the MIT Media Lab Joi Ito.
Records from the Justice Department show Hoffman sent an email to Epstein in December 2014 in which Hoffman said he sent two gifts to Epstein’s New York City address. One gift was “ice cream. if you have any interest, you should try — else for the girls.” The second gift was “something that may strike your funny bone for the island.”
In November of 2025, Hoffman said, “I was never a client of Epstein’s and never had any engagement with him other than fundraising for MIT.” Hoffman has called for the full release of the Epstein files “because it will bring justice for the victims.”
Hoffman has not been accused of wrongdoing.
A prolific Democratic donor, Hoffman has given large sums to Democratic causes in just the 2025-26 election cycle alone. His $1 million contribution to the DGA in March will support Democratic governor candidates across the country, including Klobuchar.
“The DGA Victory Fund is a key part of the Klobuchar attack machine, and it’s being funded by at least seven out-of-state billionaires, including the disgraced Epstein crony and tech billionaire Reid Hoffman,” said Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Alex Plechash
This is not the first time Klobuchar has benefited from Hoffman’s money.
During Klobuchar’s failed 2020 presidential campaign, she received a maximum $2,800 donation from Hoffman. A Forbes report from 2019 showed Klobuchar received donations from 21 billionaires or their spouses during her White House bid.
Campaign contributions from billionaires have recently become a big topic in Minnesota’s race for governor. In recent weeks, GOP gubernatorial nominee Lisa Demuth has been repeatedly criticized for benefiting from donations made by Wisconsin billionaire Richard Uihlein.
A major Republican donor, Uihlein founded his company, Uline, in his basement in 1980 and built the company into a multi-billion dollar packaging and industrial supplies company. Uline is a major source of jobs for the state of Wisconsin.
According to a Minnesota Star Tribune report, a political action committee supporting Demuth called Restore Sanity has received over $14 million, largely from the Uihlein family.
Klobuchar has criticized this, saying Uihlein is supporting Demuth because he knows she “will be a rubber stamp for Trump’s agenda.” Additionally, Klobuchar has said Uihlein is “trying to buy the governor’s office in Minnesota.”
According to campaign finance records, Klobuchar’s campaign has raised over $13 million in 2026 while the Demuth campaign has raised nearly $2.6 million during the same period. As such, the money from Restore Sanity could have an equalizing effect on the race.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
