Zuckerberg: ‘No real decision’ on 2016 donations

Mark Zuckerberg was noncommital on Sunday when asked about whether he was donating to a candidate in the 2016 presidential election.

“We don’t have any comment on that,” the Facebook CEO told Bloomberg. “I mean, no — no real decision on that.”

{mosads} Zuckerberg has a history of giving to candidates on both sides of the aisle. He has given to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) among others.

His support for Rubio, who is running for president, likely stems from the Florida senator’s previous backing for immigration reform. Zuckerberg helped create FWD.us, an advocacy group dedicated to the issue, and, like many in Silicon Valley, believes that more visas should be issued to high-skilled workers. He has also donated to Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), a stalwart supporter of immigration reform.

Zuckerberg also has a particularly strong relationship with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican presidential candidate whose campaign has struggled to get off the ground. One of Zuckerberg’s first major acts of philanthropy was donating $100 million to public schools in Newark. Christie was also the beneficiary of Zuckerberg’s first political fundraiser.

Last week, Zuckerberg commented admiringly on a viral video of Christie speaking about the toll that drug addiction can take on society in starkly personal terms.

The attention on the Facebook co-founder’s political intentions doesn’t come as a surprise, since the recent upcropping of wealth in Silicon Valley has made it a center for political fundraising.

An analysis by The Hill last week found Hillary Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination in 2016, has raised more money in California than in New York. When she ran for president in 2008, she raised more money from New York — home to the titans of Wall Street.

President Obama has also raised a significant amount of money in California.