In North Carolina, political committees and donors have helped to bankroll candidates and causes up and down the ballot. While the role of money in politics is well known to most voters, what might be unknown to some North Carolina voters is the fact that the largest individual donor in the state isn’t actually from the Tar Heel State.

Michael R. Bloomberg was the largest individual donor in North Carolina during the 2020 election cycle, according to North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBOE) reports. He was also the third largest donor overall.

Bloomberg, a businessman and philanthropist from New York, is perhaps best known for his tenure as Mayor of New York from 2002 until 2013. Bloomberg also sought the Democratic nomination for President in 2020, but dropped out after a poor showing in key March primaries. In total, his presidential campaign garnered the support of just under 2.5 million primary voters and caucus goers.

According to the SBOE, Bloomberg contributed to four entities during the 2020 election cycle, with the lion’s share of his contributions going to Beyond Carbon Victory Fund in the amount of $8,793,580. The group, which reported Bloomberg as its only donor, announced an ad buy in North Carolina in October 2020, targeting key statewide races. According to the group’s website, its goal for the 2020 election was “to help elect climate champions that will get the country on the path to a 100 percent clean energy economy.”

To see other top donors in the state of North Carolina — and how those donations were spent by candidates and PACs— start with our donors page.

Our Spotlight series highlights individual candidates, donors and PACs in state-level politics. All available 2020 election cycle data for the state of North Carolina is accessible on our site. Subscribe to be informed when campaign finance data for the 2022 election cycle (January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2022) is added.