Wealthy NC donor Art Pope backs Rubio

One of the most influential political donors in the United States, North Carolina businessman Art Pope, has endorsed Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for president.

It is the third endorsement from a high-profile donor in a matter of weeks, coming on the heels of support from billionaire New York investor Paul Singer and Illinois hedge fund manager Ken Griffin.

{mosads}”Marco Rubio is the one,” Pope said in a telephone interview on Thursday. “Marco Rubio has the best qualifications and experience, and I agree with him on more of the issues than I do with any other candidate.”

Pope would not say how much he plans to donate to outside groups supporting Rubio because he did not want to tip off his Democratic Party opponents. 

Given much of Rubio’s outside money is funneled into a nonprofit that can legally hide the identities of its donors, the size of Pope’s contribution may never be known.

But with the North Carolina primary being held relatively early, on March 15, Pope says he wanted to make his support public to help Rubio generate as much momentum as possible, as early as he can.

Pope, who built his fortune running a discount store conglomerate Variety Wholesalers, is perhaps more influential than any other political donor in his state.

Like the billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch, Pope runs his own conservative network. A 2011 profile by The New Yorker estimated Pope’s network had spent some $40 million promoting his small-government philosophy and causes over the previous decade. 

Describing Pope’s influence on the state, then-chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party, David Parker, told The New Yorker, “We are all prisoners of Art Pope’s fantasy world.” 

But to date, Pope has spent relatively little at the federal or presidential level, directing almost all his money into North Carolina. In 2012 he gave $3,700 to the Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s joint fundraising account, and in 2008 he gave $12,700 to a fund for that year’s nominee, John McCain. 

If Pope decides in 2016 to play at the presidential level like he does at the state level, he could have a material effect on Rubio’s fortunes. 

Asked why he considered Rubio to have the right qualifications, given his short time in the Senate, Pope said, “I think there is a sharp contrast between Marco Rubio and Barack Obama.”

“I have very high regard for Marco Rubio being Speaker of the Florida House,” Pope said. “He was responsible for legislation, a state budget getting put together, building coalitions … I give him a lot of credit for that.”

Pope also praised Rubio for his debating skills, foreign policy knowledge and national security credentials. 

“I plan to do everything I can to help him,” Pope said.