Susan Gore

Susan Gore is the heiress to the Gore-Tex fortune and a Republican political donor who has contributed to right-of-center causes in Wyoming since the 1990s. Gore is also a contributor to right-of-center parties, political action committees, and candidates on a national level, including organizations that supported the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump in 2020 and 2024. 1 Forbes reported in 2014 that the Gore family’s net worth was $5.3 billion. 2

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At-A-Glance

Occupation: Donor
Ideological Alignment: Right of Center
Issue Areas: Economic Policy
Born:

1942

Nationality:

American

Contents

    Gore is the founder of the Wyoming Liberty Group, a free-market think tank, and Republic Free Choice, a nonprofit advocacy group. Gore is also the founder of the Pillar of Law Institute, a public interest law firm related to the Wyoming Liberty Group. 3

    Background

    Susan Gore is the daughter of Bill and Genevieve Gore, the founders of W. L. Gore and Associates, which is best known for manufacturing Gore-Tex fabrics. Susan Gore moved to Wyoming in the mid-1990s after spending more than a decade in a transcendental meditation community in Fairfield, Iowa.  3

    Susan Gore inherited shares of the Gore family trust in the 1980s. Due to illness and her financial support of the transcendental meditation movement, Gore nearly went bankrupt by the late 1990s. Gore received more shares of the family stock in the 2000s.  3

    In Wyoming, Gore has influenced state politics, promoting conservative-libertarian ideas and funding candidates in small-money elections. Gore founded three nonprofit organizations in Wyoming: the Wyoming Liberty Group, Republic Free Choice, and the Pillar of Law Institute, all meant to advance libertarian ideals. The Wyoming Liberty Group is an affiliate member of the State Policy Network, a coalition of free-market state-level policy organizations.  3

    Spending

    Susan Gore was the primary financial supporter of the Wyoming Liberty Group for the organization’s first few years of operations. Gore also initially funded the other organizations she founded, the Republic Free Choice and the Pillar of Law Institute.  1

    Gore supports right-leaning political parties, political action committees, and candidates. In 2016, Gore supported U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) in the presidential primary, and later U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). Gore ultimately supported Donald Trump for president and continued that support through his 2020 and 2024 campaigns.  1

    Controversy

    In 2021, the New York Times reported on alleged right-of-center operatives who posed as Democratic activists, and claimed they intended to “manipulate politics and reshape the national electoral map.” The article named Beau Maier and Sofia LaRocca as the people who infiltrated left-wing groups and claimed they were operatives of Richard Seddon, a former British spy. The article reported that Seddon secured funding from Susan Gore for this operation sometime in 2018. 4

    Political Contributions

    Alaska Republican Party (political party)

    Common Sense for America PAC (PAC)

    Connecticut Republican State Central Committee (political party)

    CPAC Action PAC (PAC)

    DC Republican Party (political party)

    Donald J. Trump for President (PAC)

    Georgia Republican Party (political party)

    Growing Our Senate Majority (fundraising committee)

    Making a Responsible Stand for Households in America PAC (leadership PAC)

    Mississippi Republican Party (political party)

    Natural Law Party of the United States of America (political party)

    National Republican Congressional Committee (political party)

    National Republican Senatorial Committee (political party)

    Never Surrender (PAC)

    Oklahoma Leadership Council (political party)

    Red, White and Blue Fund (PAC)

    Republican National Committee (political party)

    Republican Party of Guam (political party)

    Republican Party of Kentucky (political party)

    Republican Party of Louisiana (political party)

    Save America (PAC)

    Stand for Truth (PAC)

    Trump 47 Committee (PAC)

    Trump Make America Great Again Committee (PAC)

    Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee (fundraising committee)

    Wyoming Republican Party (political party)

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    References

    1. “Individual Contributions: Susan Gore.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed January 29, 2026. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=gore%2C+susan&contributor_state=WY.
    2. Savchuk, Katia. “Family Misfortunes: 8 Of America’s Richest Clans And Their Bitter Fights Over Billions.” Forbes, July 8, 2014. Accessed January 29, 2026. https://www.forbes.com/sites/katiasavchuk/2014/07/08/family-misfortunes-8-of-americas-richest-clans-and-their-bitter-fights-over-billions/.
    3. Nickerson, Gregory. “Libertarian Gore-Tex heiress fuels hidden political donations.” WyoFile, April 28, 2015. https://wyofile.com/libertarian-gore-tex-heiress-fuels-hidden-political-donations/.
    4. Mazzetti, Mark and Goldman, Adam. “They Seemed Like Democratic Activists. They Were Secretly Conservative Spies.” The New York Times, June 2025, 2021. Accessed January 29, 2026. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/25/us/politics/spies-conservatives-left-political-enemies.html.