In 2024, as the possibility of a Donald Trump/Joe Biden presidential rematch looks more and more possible, the University of California system will take on a prominent role in national politics, not for cutting edge political science research, legal theories or technology, but as a cash cow. In the 2016 presidential cycle, according to federal records compiled by OpenSecrets.org, University of California staffers gave nearly $5 million to Democrats, nearly 97% of their total political giving. In the 2020 election cycle, giving to Democrats nearly quadrupled to $19.8 million, this time, more than 97% of total giving. If University of California donations continue on that trajectory, Democrats could receive an unprecedented – and publicly funded – windfall of nearly $80 million dollars.

