All of the Massachusetts politicians Larry Summers gave money to
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Former Harvard president Larry Summers donated over $20,000 to support Massachusetts political candidates between 2012 and 2022, campaign finance records show.
- That includes donations to Gov. Maura Healey, U.S. Rep Seth Moulton and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Why it matters: Summers is facing criticism for his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, has resigned from the OpenAI board and has said he's stepping away from other public commitments. Harvard has reportedly launched a probe into his ties with Epstein.
The latest: Summers won't return to Harvard to finish teaching his courses this semester, the Crimson reported.
State of play: Summers, one of the nation's top economists, made over a dozen contributions to boost Massachusetts candidates over roughly a decade, according to the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance and the Federal Election Commission.
Follow the money: Healey received the most support among individual candidates ($4,000) between 2017 and '21, covering her time as attorney general but not her campaign for governor.
- Former state Sen. Eric Lesser collected $2,500 from 2014 to 2022, when he ran for lieutenant governor.
- State Sen. Lydia Edwards, also a former Boston city councilor, received $1,500 between 2016 and 2021.
- Security expert Juliette Kayyem, a Harvard Kennedy School senior lecturer, received $1,000 during her 2014 gubernatorial bid.
The big picture: All of Summers' donations to support Massachusetts pols went to Democratic candidates, most with close ties to Harvard.
- Healey will donate all of Summers' contributions to My Life My Choice, a Boston nonprofit that supports survivors of human trafficking, a spokesperson from Healey's political committee told Axios.
Zoom out: Summers also gave to Democrats running for federal office, including Warren ($1,000 in 2012), who called on Harvard this week to cut ties with its former leader.
- Moulton collected $2,500 from Summers in 2014.
- There were two donations to his home congressman, Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss, amounting to $1,500 in 2019 and 2020.
- Auchincloss' predecessor, Joe Kennedy III, got $1,000 from Summers for his U.S. Senate run in 2019.
- Ed Markey's 2013 Senate campaign got $250 from Summers.
Between the lines: It's typical for high-profile Massachusetts residents to donate to campaigns for top offices.
- Summers' donations, even when he gave the maximum legal amount, constitute a drop in the bucket compared with the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars raised in high-stakes races.
What they're saying: Summers didn't respond to a request for comment.
- Speaking about his ties to Epstein, Summers said in a statement earlier this week: "I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused." He added: "I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein."