Richard M.Scaife Pittsburgh, Pa.

Chairman of Sarah Scaife Foundation, Allegheny Foundation, and Carthage Foundation; owner, chairman, and publisher of Trib Total Media, a 22-newspaper group in western Pennsylvania, including the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review; vice-chairman of the Heritage Foundation board of trustees.

Wealth:

Estimated by Forbes magazine to be in excess of $1.2 billion.

Power/Influence:

An heir to the Mellon banking fortune, Scaife has used his wealth to provide financial support for organizations and think tanks that advocate conservative principles of limited government, free enterprise, and a strong national defense. The liberal People for the American Way organization estimates that the Scaife Foundations have channeled over $340 million to conservative groups over a 30-year period, more than any other individual or group. Scaife became a political powerhouse backing Richard Nixon in his presidential campaigns. In 1972, he gave nearly $1 million to re-elect Nixon, but later called for Nixon’s resignation in the wake of Watergate. Scaife was also an early backer of then-California Gov. Ronald Reagan.

Role in Campaign ’08:

Scaife’s Tribune-Review endorsed John McCain in February, calling him “fiercely independent.” More recently the paper has said McCain “clearly stands head and shoulders above Barack Obama.”

Scaife’s Tribune-Review also surprised many when it endorsed Hillary Clinton in the Democratic race two days before the Pennsylvania primary.

Who Knew: Scaife had been a critic of Bill Clinton, whose White House called Scaife the head of the “vast right wing conspiracy.” In recent years the two have become friends, and Scaife donated $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation.

Note: Scaife is a shareholder in the parent company of this magazine.

See List: 25 Most Influential Republicans

Order a copy of the Newsmax Magazine Special Report — "25 Most Influential Republicans"