Technology

Oracle billionaire said to plan Rubio fundraiser

Billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison is reportedly backing Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) bid for the White House.

Politico reported on Wednesday that Ellison will host a June 9 fundraiser for the Florida senator’s presidential campaign at his California home.

A donation of $2,700 reportedly gets donors access to a reception and a photo with the candidate. Couples who have raised $27,000 get access to a host committee dinner.

Ellison is a reliable Republican donor. In 2012, he gave $3 million to a super-PAC supporting Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign. The donation made him the 19th largest contributor to outside groups in the election cycle, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.

He is worth just over $54 billion, and remains executive chairman and chief technology officer at Oracle after stepping down as the company’s CEO last year.

Rubio’s campaign had no comment on the report.

Ellison’s support would be a victory for Rubio in the wider war for Silicon Valley’s wealthy donors. While the tech industry is seen as leaning left, there are a cadre of major Republican donors who come from the tech field.

Rank-and-file employees at tech companies generally favor Democrats by a wide margin. Google and Microsoft both had employees give generously to President Obama’s reelection effort.