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Small pool of rich donors dominates presidential-election giving

An analysis of fundraising reports filed with federal regulators found that nearly 60 donations of $1 million or more accounted for about one-third of the more than $380 million brought in so far for the 2016 presidential election.

WASHINGTON — It took Ted Cruz three months to raise $10 million for his campaign for president, a springtime sprint of $1,000-a-plate dinners, hundreds of handshakes and a stream of emails asking supporters to chip in a few bucks.

One check, from one donor, topped those results.

New York hedge-fund magnate Robert Mercer’s $11 million gift to a group backing the Texas Republican’s White House bid put him atop a tiny group of millionaires and billionaires whose contributions dwarf those made by the tens of thousands of people who have given to their favorite presidential candidate.