Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison is set to donate tens of millions of dollars to back Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) for president in 2024, according to reports.
Ellison has been planning to support Scott’s presidential bid since he donated $30 million to the pro-Scott super PAC, Opportunity Matters Fund, CNBC reported.
After months of speculation, Scott officially kicked off his presidential campaign on Monday in North Charleston, South Carolina. Scott gave a shoutout to “one of his mentors,” Ellison, who sat in a VIP section at the rally.
“One of my mentors, Larry Ellison, is with us today, and I am so thankful to have so many different mentors in the house,” Scott told the crowd.
Since Scott’s campaign launch, the Opportunity Matters Fund PAC has been rebranded as the Trust In the Mission PAC, or TIM PAC.
Ellison plans to donate up to $10 million to TIM PAC “in the early going of Scott’s run,” CNBC detailed.
“Ellison has signaled to allies that he could give at least between $20 million and $30 million more this cycle,” a veteran Republican fundraiser told CNBC.
Ellison is a fan of Scott’s “strong support” for Israel and his promotion of school choice, according to reports.
Ellison, the fourth richest person in the world according to Forbes, has a net worth of nearly $127 billion.
In 2016, Ellison donated $5 million to a PAC that supported Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) failed presidential campaign. In 2010, he donated $5 million to the Opportunity Matters Fund and $1 million toward a PAC that supported Sen. Susan Collins’ (R-ME) reelection campaign.
Scott is polling at one percent in the crowded GOP primary field that includes Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, Larry Elder, and the frontrunner, former President Donald Trump.
Trump welcomed Scott into the presidential primary on Monday shortly after Scott’s announcement.
“Good luck to Senator Tim Scott in entering the Republican Presidential Primary Race,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It is rapidly loading up with lots of people, and Tim is a big step up from Ron DeSanctimonious, who is totally unelectable. I got Opportunity Zones done with Tim, a big deal that has been highly successful. Good luck Tim!”
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.