Report: Almost half of all super-PAC money came from 50 donors

Nearly half of the money raised by super-PACs this election cycle came from just 50 donors and their families, according to an analysis by The Washington Post.

{mosads}Those top donors gave $248 million collectively, about 41 percent of the total $607 million that super-PACs have raised for 2016. 

The groups, which can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money but are not allowed to coordinate with campaigns, are on track to surpass the $828 million that the Center for Responsive Politics reports that they raised in 2012.

The most generous contributor in the cycle so far has been hedge fund manager Tom Steyer, who put $17 million into his super-PAC that supports candidates who are committed to fighting climate change. Steyer has pledged to spend more than the $74 million that he gave during the 2014 elections.

Another hedge fund manager, Robert Mercer, has given $14.6 million this cycle, mostly to a super-PAC supporting Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz.

The report noted that the top 50 donors gave more than the nearly 1 million people who contributed a total $161 million to the campaign of Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton.