Columbia leadership disproportionately gave to Democrats in 2020, 2024: REPORT
A recent report by Columbia University's student newspaper reveals the Ivy League institution's top officials have overwhelmingly contributed to Democrat candidates in the past two election cycles.
On Monday, the Columbia Daily Spectator shared FEC data showing that Columbia administrators contributed 88 percent of more than $4.1 million in donations toward Democrat causes and politicians seeking federal office in 2020 and 2024.
A recent report by Columbia University’s student newspaper reveals the Ivy League institution’s top officials have overwhelmingly contributed to Democrat candidates in the past two election cycles.
On Monday, the Columbia Daily Spectator shared FEC data showing that Columbia administrators contributed 88 percent of more than $4.1 million in donations toward Democrat causes and politicians seeking federal office in 2020 and 2024.
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The Spectator compiled data from 30 high-ranking Columbia officials, including members of the board of trustees, the president’s cabinet, the council of deans, and the executive committee.
The outlet’s findings shows that the trustees gave over $1.1 million toward Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign, which was more than double the roughly $450,000 given to Joe Biden’s 2020 candidacy.
In both cycles, no trustees contributed any amounts to Donald Trump’s campaign.
The 2020 elections saw trustees contribute to Democrat candidates and committees in over 150 instances, compared to just eight for Republicans. Similarly, trustees supported Democrats on nearly 140 occasions, while only donating to GOP causes 11 times.
In particular, Trustee Adam Pritzker reportedly contributed $970,600 in support of the Harris campaign during this past election season. As noted by the Spectator, Pritzker is a family member of Illinois’ Democrat governor and billionaire, J.B. Pritzker
Democrats received 292 out of 358 total donations made by Columbia trustees.
No members of Columbia’s council of deans, executive committee, or president’s cabinet donated to Trump in either 2020 or 2024. While contributions by Columbia officials to Republicans were scant overall in each cycle, these administrators almost entirely avoided giving to a single Republican U.S. Senate or House candidate in 2024.
Following President-elect Trump’s victory on Nov. 5, Columbia professors garnered publicity for their willingness to cancel classes.
“I have decided to cancel our class today,” adjunct professor and former Obama administration advisor Michelle Greene reportedly wrote to students the next day. “The current events would make it difficult to concentrate on factorial ANOVA, and although I had planned an alternative lecture on modern polling methods and their blind spots, it feels a bit tone-deaf to deliver it today. Be good to yourselves, check in on your friends.”
“I hope you are all taking care,” Barnard College Assistant Professor Amelia Simone Herbert told her classes. “I recognize that processing the results of a national election can be heavy and having space to breathe and go a bit slower is vital.”