AdvertisementThe Thiel effectFor Vance, Thiel's influence first left its mark when he was still a student. Thiel also got a shoutout on the acknowledgments page of Vance's 2016 book, "Hillbilly Elegy." The former PayPal CEO has given $15 million to Vance's campaign, Politico reported — the largest donation ever given to one Senate candidate. AdvertisementOne of Trump's biggest donors in the 2016 presidential campaign, Thiel has re-emerged as a key player in the MAGA movement after largely sitting out the 2020 election. Thiel also appears to have pulled some of his Silicon Valley strings to advance Vance's campaign.

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