Overview
- Multiple local outlets reported on Monday that Disney Experiences/Walt Disney Parks & Resorts donated $100,000 to former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy’s campaign for Orange County mayor.
- Reports say the gift appears to be Disney’s largest-ever donation to a local candidate and arrived as the race has already attracted nearly $3 million in total fundraising from the four leading contenders.
- Murphy’s campaign has taken other large gifts from donors and committees, including $250,000 from Center Aisle PAC and sizable checks from J. Hyatt Brown, Beat Kähli, and Michael Bloomberg.
- Rival candidate Mayra Uribe criticized the Disney donation as an attempt by the tourism industry to exert influence, and Disney did not provide a comment when asked by reporters.
- The primary is set for August 18 and could lead to a November runoff if no candidate wins a majority, and the donation revives questions about how corporate spending and big donors shape local policy and electoral outcomes after Disney’s 2022 pause and 2024 resumption of political giving.