A local political action committee looking to defeat incumbent Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman in the upcoming election received a big donation last week from a surprising source: a group backed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
The tax-exempt FWD.us donated $200,000 on December 1 to PAC For Justice. While FWD.us is not required by law to say where their money comes from, Zuckerberg is well-known as one of the group’s creators, along with other Silicon Valley bigwigs.
Gusman is seeking his fifth term as sheriff. His opponent Susan Hutson previously served as the independent police monitor for New Orleans.
As the election approaches, the PAC For Justice has gone on the attack in support of Hutson, placing ads both on traditional and social media. The spots allegs mismanagement of the sheriff’s department under Gusman’s leadership. Gusman has responded with attacks of his own that Hutson would not be forceful enough on criminals, as well as targeting the big donation itself.
“Out-of-state interests are funding mailers, robocalls, TV and social media, so they can have their puppet go easy on crime,” Gusman said in a campaign video.
“Marlin Gusman may want to distract from the jail contractors that fund his campaign, but at the end of the day, voters will choose if New Orleans is ready to turn the page on 17 years of scandals and mismanagement of our city’s jail,” Sade Dumas, co-chair of the PAC, responded in a statement.
Meanwhile, FWD.us vice president Zoë Towns issued a statement of her own, saying the group is “proud to support PAC for Justice in their work to ensure that the next New Orleans sheriff is committed to advancing ongoing reforms that deliver safety and justice to more New Orleanians.”
The $200,000 donation is the fifth-largest single donation this year to any PAC for a Louisiana election. The top four were all in support of a proposed Slidell casino.
It also more than doubles what Hutson had raised on her own over the course of her whole campaign. Her personal campaign coffers tally just $131,000.
