A Financier’s Twist on Buying Influence: Bankrolling Ballot Measures
The New York Times••nation
Key Points:
- Brian Heywood, a hedge fund founder in the Seattle suburbs, has spent $11 million since 2022 through his political action committee, Let’s Go Washington, to promote 20 conservative policy proposals in the predominantly blue state.
- Heywood aims to push legislative action or public votes on measures including a parents’ rights initiative and a proposal to ban transgender athletes from girls’ scholastic sports by requiring proof of biological sex at birth.
- Heywood defends his efforts as attempts to correct what he calls "stupid stuff," specifically opposing transgender athletes competing against biological girls, while critics label him an oligarch and political opportunist using his wealth to influence controversial issues.
- Heywood’s background includes rising from a modest upbringing to
