NEW YORK _ Rebekah Mercer, whose wealthy family has sought for years to reshape conservative politics with a populist, anti-establishment message, was named to President-elect Donald Trump's transition team.
Mercer, the 42-year-old daughter of New York hedge fund manager Robert Mercer, will serve as one of 16 members of the team's executive committee, the group said in a statement Friday. It's the latest sign of how the Mercers' long-standing effort to influence the direction of the Republican Party is finally paying off.
Robert Mercer has made his fortune as co-CEO of Renaissance Technologies, one of the most profitable hedge funds in history. Armed with the money of her father, Rebekah Mercer oversaw a pro-Trump political action committee that poured millions of dollars into advertising during the run-up to Tuesday's election.
And two of the family's closest political advisers, Stephen Bannon and Kellyanne Conway, guided the Trump campaign to victory over its final months and are now positioned for senior roles in the Trump administration.
Rebekah Mercer is a mother of four and a political rookie whose previous experience includes working as a Wall Street trader and operating a bakery. Beginning in 2010, her father started pouring millions of dollars into conservative causes, and Rebekah Mercer handled the details of many of his political and charitable projects.
