Garry Tan's New Dark-Money Group Aims to Reshape California Politics

Garry Tan, the venture capitalist who has spent years railing against progressive politicians on social media, is formalizing his political influence operation with a new dark-money group called "Garry's List."

The Y Combinator CEO announced Wednesday that he has spun up the 501(c)(4) nonprofit, which he describes as a "voter education group" dedicated to "civic engagement, voter education and support for common-sense policies and candidates" across California.

As a 501(c)(4), Garry's List can spend money directly on candidates and ballot measures while keeping its donors anonymous—a designation traditionally known as "dark money" because it allows groups to influence elections without full transparency about funding sources.

"I want to work to ensure Californians know the importance of investment and entrepreneurship to our state's current and future economy," Tan wrote in a press release.

The group launched with two co-founders: Shaudi Fulp, a Sacramento lobbyist leading Grow California (a PAC funded by $10 million from crypto executives Chris Larsen and Tim Draper), and Forrest Liu, a local political operative known for both organizing against street harassment of Asian seniors and for controversial behavior that has led to multiple police reports.

Tan has long advocated for tech executives to create "parallel" media and political infrastructure to counter what he sees as progressive dominance in California politics. "We need our own machine," he said in 2023.

His new venture began with a blog attacking public-sector unions as "special interests," criticizing the ongoing teachers' strike, and denouncing the proposed billionaire tax. The group plans to print voter guides, host events, take out ads, and train future elected officials.

Sam Singer, the publicist working with Tan, said the group has received support from "radical centrists" who want an organization that is "neither Democrat nor Republican, but is a pragmatic, centrist, and common-sense place."

"All 58 counties" in California are "on Garry's map," Singer said, with operations planned "from the Mexican border to the Oregon border."

This represents an escalation of Tan's political ambitions beyond San Francisco, where he has spent nearly half a million dollars in local races since 2015. He's known locally for his brashness, including a 2024 tweet telling seven progressive supervisors to "die slow, motherfuckers"—which he later claimed was a joke referencing Tupac lyrics.

Tan told the San Francisco Standard he aims to build "political infrastructure for the next 20 years" and wants to replicate the "energy" from the 2022 recall of District Attorney Chesa Boudin and the school board.

The venture comes amid a surge in dark-money spending in California politics. Similar operations have seen mixed results—TogetherSF, backed by venture capitalist Michael Moritz, spent $9.5 million on a ballot measure that lost to a progressive counter-measure backed by about $117,000, leading Moritz to pull support.

Neighbors for a Better San Francisco remains a major player after taking in $1 million last year, while GrowSF, another group where Tan once served on the board, recently announced plans to spend $2 million in the 2026 election cycle.

While 501(c)(4) groups must spend less than half their funds on elections, the "voter education" and "social welfare" activities they fund often serve to build long-term political infrastructure and raise public profiles—potentially more significant for sustained influence than single-election donations.

The timing is notable as California faces ongoing debates about housing, homelessness, crime, and taxation, with tech industry leaders increasingly frustrated with the state's progressive governance.

Tan's move represents a formalization of the tech industry's growing political engagement in California, moving from individual donations and social media commentary to organized, well-funded political infrastructure designed to operate across the state for decades to come.