Exclusive | AOC trumpets small donors — but celebs like Jane Fonda, Ben Affleck and more give big

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez continually touts her fundraising as a grass-roots effort that relies on small donations from regular people — but her campaign coffers are stuffed with big contributions from celebrities, wealthy activists and executives, a Post review found.

Even many of AOC’s small-dollar contributions are larger than meets the eye, under an accounting loophole that lets big donors masquerade as little ones.

AOC has repeatedly said her campaign relies virtually entirely on small grassroots donations. AFP via Getty Images

Among the bold-faced names whose identities are buried inside her lengthy Federal Election Commission reports are Jane Fonda, the actress and activist who hosted the lawmaker on her podcast in 2020 – and who earned the infamous “Hanoi Jane” nickname after a controversial visit to Vietnam where she posed on an anti-aircraft gun used to attack American troops.

Fonda has given $8,300 to the socialist lawmaker and “Squad” member over the years, including $500 so far in the first half of 2025.

Jane Fonda, who hosted Ocasio-Cortez on her podcast in 2020, is a big supporter of the Congresswoman. GC Images

Also kicking in to AOC’s $20 million war chest were:

• Comedienne Wanda Sykes, who gave $2,000 this year; “Running on Empty” singer Jackson Browne, who gave $4,850 in 2025 and nearly $12,000 since 2020; “Working Girl” star Melanie Griffith, with $250; and “Dream On” actress Wendie Malick, who donated $258.
• “Gone Girl” actor Ben Affleck has chipped in $3,452; “The Avengers” Mark Ruffalo gave $5,063, and lefty filmmaker Michael Moore donated $1,000 — although the trio have sat on their wallets so far this election cycle.
• Boldfaced names outside of Hollywood included Franklin Delano Roosevelt III, grandson of the US president, a self-described “radical” economist whose New School Ph.D. dissertation was titled “Towards a Marxist Critique of the Cambridge School.” He gave $3,312 so far this year and $10,437 since 2020.

Ben Affleck has donated $3,452 to AOC through the years, though he hasn’t chipped in this election cycle yet. Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock

A number of beltway bandits also contributed. Al Kamen, who for years penned the Washington Post’s “In the Loop” column, gave $7,100, then got a partial refund after exceeding the federally allowed contribution limit. He was AOC’s top donor as of the end of June.

Those donors who ply their trade from powerhouse firms inside the Beltway include Samuel Maruca, a corporate tax attorney with DC firm Covington & Burling, and Sarah Tucker, a partner at Chicago-based Sidley & Austin who represents banks, energy and commodity companies. Another is Debra Greenspan, a partner with communications and crisis management firm FGS Global.

Executives include Evan Goldberg, founder of Oracle NetSuite, who gave $6,600 this year; Claire Chouinard, daughter of the founder of Patagonia and a designer for the company, gave $6,300 over the years; and Porter Diehl, Bridgewater Associates’ deputy CEO, gave $3,500 so far this year.

“Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign is fueled by the very Hollywood celebrities, globalists, and D.C. insiders that she rails against. She brands herself as a grassroots politician, but she is bought and paid for by elites. Her $15 ‘average donation’ is a lie meant to hide her hypocrisy and corruption, but the American people can see right through it,” slammed Kiersten Pels, spokesperson for the Republican National Committee.

Wanda Sykes has donated $2,000 in the first half of 2025 to AOC’s campaign. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

All told, large contributors of more than $200 accounted for 10% of her haul in the first half of 2025 – and close to 30% in the 2024 election cycle.

The contributions helped the self-described “Bronx girl” raise $20 million, more than any other House member as of her October filing with the feds.

The socialist lawmaker, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, boasts that her average donation “floats around $15 to $17.” But many of her donors are breaking up their big bucks contributions into tiny increments.

AOC’s small donation size is used as a constant flex for the socialist lawmaker. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

One Manhattan doctor, Tina Dobsevage, gave as many as 130 times over the past year – with contributions as small as $1.25. The total sum was $2,100.

She is one of many donors from high-wealth professions that opted to donate in small sums – thereby driving down the amount of the average contribution.

One Google engineer, Ghuman Sundeep of California, gave in increments of $10, $15, $50, and as little as $3 over the course of the spring and summer. Another Google engineer, Niccole Patten, broke her $300 contribution into $25 increments through the ActBlue political fundraising service.

Jackson Browne has donated nearly $12,000 to AOC since 2020. Getty Images Tibet House US

Yet another, Soham Koradia of California, gave a series of irregular contributions: $5 in June, $5 in May, $40, $25, and $27 in April, and $5 in May.

Kevin Ward, the CEO of the Aspen Center in Colorado, broke up his contributions into $10, $8, $5, $16, $10, and $8 over a period of two months.

Ocasio-Cortez’ office did not reply to The Post’s request for comment.