Irwin Jacobs’s Politicking Offspring

It’s not just family patriarch Irwin Jacobs, billionaire founder of Qualcomm, who is handing out the big political money this campaign season. Son Harlan, who has signed on as a backer of mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher, is also throwing some of his cash into Democratic campaigns, including $2500 to the congressional primary bid of former San Diego city councilman Scott Peters. He is locked in a tight race against both Republican incumbent Brian Bilbray and ex–Democratic assemblywoman Lori Saldaña, along with two other Republicans. Irwin, meanwhile gave $500 to Sal Pace on March 22. He’s a liberal Democrat running in Colorado’s third congressional district. Wife Joan sprang for a little more, $5000 on March 31, to support the campaign of Democrat Tim Kaine, the ex-Virginia governor now running to replace fellow Democrat Jim Webb in the U.S. Senate. Stacy Jacobs, wife of Irwin’s son Paul, the Qualcomm chief executive who is backing Fletcher for mayor, gave $5000 to the presidential reelection campaign of Barack Obama on March 7.