Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II has been one of the top Democratic campaign donors for the 2024 election, according to a report by USA Today, though his contributions have paled in comparison to several others.
Rooney has donated $68,300 to Democratic campaign causes in the 2024 election cycle, according to FEC data as of Oct. 1. That’s the third-most of any current NFL major owner, but a drop in the bucket compared to some other contributions.
Rob Walton, a Wal-Mart heir and part owner of the Denver Broncos, has donated $16.6 million to Republican causes. Arthur Blank, the owner of the Atlanta Falcons, has donated $3.3 million to Democratic agenda. Of the top 10 campaign donations by NFL owners, eight of them were to Republican campaigns or PACs. Blank and Broncos co-owner Carrie Walton Penner were the only NFL owners to donate more to Democratic causes than Rooney.
The Steelers’ president has not made a public stance on the upcoming election. In 2023, he donated to the campaigns of Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, Allegheny County executive Sara Innamorato and Pa. House speaker Joanna McClinton. Rooney’s father and predecessor as the Steelers’ majority owner, Daniel M. Rooney, served as the United State Ambassador to Ireland under former President Barack Obama and openly campaigned for him in 2008, despite to that point having been a lifelong Republican.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz held a rally in the Great Hall of Acrisure Stadium on Oct. 15.
Former President Donald Trump attended the Steelers’ Week 7 game against the New York Jets, though he did not make a public appearance, and the Steelers made it clear he was visiting as a guest of a private suite holder.
Former Steelers players have campaigned on both sides of the aisle. Running back Jerome Bettis campaigned through Western Pennsylvania with Kamala Harris during her bus tour earlier this year. Fellow Steelers Hall of Famer Joe Greene has also come out in public support of Harris.
I am grateful to have the support of my friend Jerome Bettis. You might know him by his nickname…The Bus. pic.twitter.com/mCZoSPglYK
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 20, 2024
More-recent Steelers players Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and Mike Wallace appeared at a rally for Trump in Latrobe last month, with Brown speaking on behalf of the former president.
