Why are hedge fund billionaires who've funded pro-Trump Republicans pouring money into NYC's Democratic primary? : General elections in New York City have become almost an afterthought, and nearly everyone assumes that the winner of this month's Democratic primary will be elected the city's mayor later this year. It appears that billionaire hedge fund managers who have previously donated millions to conservative Republicans are now using their wealth to try to shape that Democratic primary to their liking — specifically, by blocking a progressive Democrat from becoming mayor of the nation's largest city.