By Dustin Gardiner and Blake Jones / Politico / August 18, 2025
MUNGER GAMES — Charles Munger Jr., the megadonor backing Republicans’ effort to block Democrats from redrawing California’s congressional map, has primarily been known to the public as the bow-tie-wearing champion of good-government causes like independent redistricting and legislative transparency.
But there’s a lesser-known aspect of Munger’s financial giving that Democrats are preparing to torch him on.
Munger, a Palo Alto physicist, has contributed more than $158,000 to socially conservative causes over the last 25 years, according to federal tax filings — including to organizations that oppose abortion rights and promote so-called crisis pregnancy centers, and to Christian groups whose leaders have opposed LGBTQ+ rights.
Munger’s spending, via his charitable nonprofit, is providing fodder to abortion-rights advocates and LGBTQ+ leaders in their effort to build support for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s push to gerrymander California’s congressional districts in favor of Democrats — a gambit that Newsom says will neutralize President Donald Trump’s effort to nab five new Republican House seats in Texas.
“These are pretty terrible donations. He has given to organizations that have tried to strip away rights and demonize members of our community,” said Tom Temprano, managing director of Equality California, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group.
Amy Thoma Tan, a spokesperson for Munger and the campaign opposed to the redistricting effort, said Munger’s charitable foundation “supports a wide variety of causes, particularly those who serve children and families who need extra support.”
She added, “But this campaign is about defending the rights of the voters of California to choose their politicians, not the other way around — anything else is a distraction.”
Democratic forces want to make Munger — the wealthy son of Warren Buffett’s longtime business partner — a central foil, along with Trump, as they try to convince Democratic voters to turn out for a Nov. 4 special election. Early polling suggests the proposal could be an uphill fight for the party.
Munger’s advisers say he has vowed to spend heavily to defend the state’s independent redistricting commission, a system that he spent $12 million to expand through a successful 2010 ballot measure that gave it the authority to draw congressional boundaries.
Good-government reforms have dominated much of Munger’s civic spending. But IRS filings for his CNC Foundation, which he’s funded with Berkshire Hathaway stock, outline a host of conservative causes. He gave:
- $70,000 to First Resort (later renamed Third Box), which operated crisis pregnancy centers in San Francisco and the Bay Area. City leaders accused the centers of masquerading as women’s health clinics while promoting an anti-abortion agenda. San Francisco later passed an ordinance to prohibit such centers from engaging in misleading advertising.
- $3,400 to the Christian Legal Society, an association of lawyers who promote a host of conservative legal causes, including celebrating the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
- Nearly $83,000 to Campus Crusade for Christ, which promotes religious ministries on college and middle school and high school campuses. The organization teaches that same-sex attraction is “contrary to God’s design for human sexuality” and has promoted conversion therapy.
Jodi Hicks, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, is among those highlighting Munger’s support of conservative causes. She has been at the forefront of Democrats’ redistricting push and spoke at a news conference alongside Newsom last week.
“His contributions to those organizations speak to his values and the agenda he supports — an extreme agenda that hurts LGBTQ people, women and people of color,” Hicks said in a statement.
Keep up the Good Fight.
MUNGER: STOP your America First mailings! The only way you can win is by cheating and decent people will fight back with our last breath. You are an evil little man with way too much money and no kindness or empathy. I hope the rest of your bloodline is born with 3 eyes!
Stop your America First mailings. If you have to lie to win, that means that what you stand for is Evil-minded.
Yes to you!
I’m totally in support!
First things that struck me about the mailer received the day after the initiative conditions were passed were (1) the implied support of the LWV of CA by a statement without context made last month and (2) that the others quoted are expressing a concern I shared I held if the initiative did not include this as a one time allowance.
Checked Common Cause and the support holding the election as the wording has addressed their concerns. IS ANYONE OR GROUP DOING A SPECIFIC FOLLOW-UP ON THIS SPURIOUS MISLEADING MAILING?
Calling Charles Munger Jr. an “extremist” ignores the facts — his record shows decades of work on independent redistricting and good-government reforms that strengthened democracy for all Californians.
Mr Munger Billionaires
All I want is for Trump and Abbott to be held accountable. If Munger and his friends and family scorch the earth in Texas then why should I hold your CA precious redistricting law sacred? I haven’t seen any republicans point to it and say, maybe they did something right. It’s the opposite! Fuck Trump, fuck Abbott and fuck the billionaires who think money is speech because they got tons of it.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION IN THIS MATTER, not extremist Charles Munger Jr.
Taxation without representation is what you get from the Democratic Party. The MAGA Doctrine by Charlie Kirk makes for a good read if you are interested in freedom of speech and believe in God.
Being a Conservative is not a bad thing and young people are beginning to see the “Light”. We, the USofA, as a Democracy and Leader of the Free World are truly at The Turning Point.
Freedom of speech? Are you forgetting that your dear leader is torching the 1st amendment? Making the fcc chair threaten ABC till they pull him off the air? And all the other lawsuits against media companies that say anything he doesn’t like. This republican party is full of hypocrites. Every accusation is an admission
From the post: “Munger, a Palo Alto physicist, has contributed more than $158,000 to socially conservative causes over the last 25 years, according to federal tax filings — including to organizations that oppose abortion rights and promote so-called crisis pregnancy centers, and to Christian groups whose leaders have opposed LGBTQ+ rights.” Pressing down on other people’s rights is NOT good-government.
According to Google, Munger did finance the push for California’s citizen-based legislative redistricting reform that we so briefly enjoyed.
I too was confused by the recent flyer that Munger \sent out, opposing Gavin Newsom’s “fight-fire-with-fire” strategy to gerrymander CA legislative districts in response to Trump’s Texas Legislature caper to harvest five new GOP votes to secure the 2026 mid-term election.
Citizen-based legislative redistricting IS good government, Frank, but Libertarianism is
a muddle.
I received this garbage mailer. It didn’t add up that it was supported by a non-partisan group (LWV). It makes sense that it was purposefully misleading and that this was just another billionaire trying to twist the political system in their favor.
@Tawn Nguyen The redistricting was contingent upon Texas’ moves. Texas went forward with theirs, and we can go forward with a vote in CA on whether to go forward with ours. All it would do is balance out Texas’ gerrymandering.
I have some ideas about where Charles Monger, Jr can stick his megadonor contribution that supports these mailers. I’m so fed up with these clowns.
I will be expressly burning each of these I’ll informed mailers. Already donated to the Yes campaign and volunteered to help. So keep wasting your money sending me all your mailers Munger.
I wanted to check on who was funding this “Protect the Voters First Act” and sure enough it was just as I thought, a right-wing billionaire who has nothing better to do than control what you do, what you think and how you vote in HIS and the rights best interest.
I will be sure to inform everyone who votes that this is a scam to stop the people of California to equalize the voter rolls of republican states and ensure Democrats take over Congress. We must stop the current white house resident and all his minions from taking over our country.
FULL STOP nothing less.
Are you really for fair representation. Texas just screwed their people. And are trying to screw the nation with their plan for redistricting. You fight fire with fire. We pay higher taxes and support the states that need help. We pay more and get less back. Texas is cheating. Trump is a faciest that wants to control everything. We, Californians need to step up to the plate. If it was OK for Texas, well it is ok for us.
Your ad sayes ” Uncontitutional Gerrymandering” Texas did it. You only want to have it your way. Grow Up.
I think mich more needs to be publicized regarding the temporary nature of california redistricting and the reasons for doing so. Munger and many other republicans are trying to make people think that the California system will be removed permanently, which is a lie.
Stop mailing that shit to my house, asshole
So it’s okay that Texas can cheat? That’s the only way Republicans can win is by cheating. You’re as bad as they are. You can be sure I will make sure everyone I know to burn your flyers.
GET RID OF ALL THESES ‘CHAOS 101’
Why not let the people vote without your influence. You may be safe but the rest of us are not.
Tell the whole truth or stand down.