Which political party does Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo support? Report reveals ESPN host’s $2,500 donation

Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, the unofficial co-host of First Take and a radio personality, has taken sides on a plethora of debates over the years. However, one debate he's avoided screaming from the rooftops about is the most American debate of them all. Which political party does Russo support and how involved is he?

According to Politico, an FEC donor report has revealed that the host, despite heralding from Democrat-soaked New Jersey, leans strongly Republican. That is at least strong enough to drop $2,500 into the campaign pocket of presidential candidate Chris Christie.

According to the article, Russo also regularly had Christie on his WFAN radio show. As such, it is unclear whether the support of Christie is a result of spending so much time with him personally or whether he likes the Republican party as a whole, and simply centered in on Christie after that.

One other reason could be that, with Christie being a governor of Russo's state in the past, the radio personality could be simply using a homer mentality in backing him.

No matter the reason, it is notable that Russo is in favor of supporting Christie, a more orthodoxical Republican, over Donald Trump's alt-right populist agenda. While he has spoken out on subjects such as school shootings, he has kept attention on sports for the vast majority of his screen time.

Panthers owners join Mad Dog Russo in supporting Chris Christie

David Tepper at Carolina Panthers v Seattle Seahawks

One of the newest power couples at the top of the ownership hierarchy, David and Nicole Tepper, were also named in the report. Both individually trounced the regular First Take guest, but not to a degree one would think. Both sent Christie $3,500 for a grand total of $7,000 in funding.

David Tepper is also from New Jersey, leaving a reason to believe that a homer mentality could serve as the catalyst for the decision. However, he didn't appear to fall in love with the city until he left it for Florida in 2015. He returned in 2020. While he does own the Panthers, there is nothing forcing him to remain in Charlotte for the future.

Of course, many would take sides over whether it's good to have an owner within spitting distance of their multi-billion dollar investment, but it appears that Tepper would prefer to keep the team at arm's length.

All of this said, the race for the presidency is still in its early stages, and donations are expected to rise across the country as November 2024 gets closer. How much more will the regular First Take guest and the Panthers owners contribute before then?