NORTHEAST HARBOR, Maine (AP) 鈥� When Donald Trump was this month, Caroline Pryor鈥檚 mind turned immediately to the man who lives down the road 鈥� Leonard Leo.
Few people in America have done more to advance conservative causes than Leo. Years ago, the then-unknown conservative lawyer began executing a plan that has helped , an effort that culminated in Trump鈥檚 first term with the .
The success moved Leo out of the shadows, turning him into a hero to conservatives and . But for his neighbors on a sparsely populated island off the coast of Maine, the equation is more complicated.
The conservative鈥檚 presence 鈥� despite significant charitable giving to local nonprofits and big spending locally 鈥� has generated fissures in a place known for tranquility. That anxiety has only spiked since Trump鈥檚 victory.
鈥淚t feels very personal,鈥� said Pryor, a 65-year-old island resident.
Leo draws protesters
Those feelings were on display on a brisk morning in October, just two weeks before November鈥檚 election. With sunlight flickering through the yellowing leaves, Pryor and a dozen other people 鈥� mostly women 鈥� gathered outside Leo鈥檚 estate.
They came armed with a cartoonish life-sized puppet of Leo, a rainbow arch for runners to pass through and blue and pink chalk with which they scribbled slogans 鈥� 鈥淵ou Are Amazing, Leonard Leo Is Not鈥� 鈥� across the road.
鈥淲e are making people on the island aware of who he is, and they might question taking his money,鈥� Mary Jane Schepers, one of the protesters, said as she urged runners to flip off Leo鈥檚 home.
In response to written questions, Leo responded: 鈥淲hile I disagree with them and with what some of them do and say, they are people created by God with dignity and worth and their presence has been an invitation to pray for them." He declined an interview request.
Money sparks controversy
Leo, 59, and his family have vacationed on Mount Desert Island for decades.
In 2018, he purchased a $3.3 million, 8,000-square-foot Tudor-style estate in Northeast Harbor, one of Mount Desert Island鈥檚 wealthiest towns. Backlash swiftly followed Leo鈥檚 arrival. The protests grew near the end of Trump鈥檚 first term and spiked after the conservative-dominated Supreme Court in 2022 overturned the constitutional right to abortion.
鈥淗e felt he could come here, and it would be a place to get away鈥� from the negative attention for his politics, said Murray Ngoima, a regular protester.
Leo told AP that the protests have 鈥渟trengthened our conviction to be as active as possible in helping various institutions on the island.鈥�
He and his wife, Sally, gave over $50,000 in 2020 to the Island Housing Trust, an organization seeking to boost the amount of affordable housing on the island, according to . They made similar donations over the next three years, . Leo and his wife were also to the Mount Desert Island Hospital. The Leos have also been listed as .
Those donations have raised suspicion, with protesters urging the groups to return the money and comparing the donations to the way Leo has used the money to influence Republican politics.
鈥淗e is a wolf in sheep鈥檚 clothing,鈥� said Susan Covino Buell, an island resident. Buell, 75, on the housing nonprofit鈥檚 campaign committee when Leo got involved. The trust鈥檚 executive director did not respond to a request for comment.
Anti-Leo activists also urging the hospital to return the donation. Mariah Cormier, a hospital spokesperson, said the institution accepts 鈥渃haritable donations that aid in strengthening the health and vibrancy of our community.鈥�
Leo dismissed the idea he and his wife were aimed at buying acceptance. 鈥淧eople who have taken the time to actually get to know me personally can judge for themselves why I do what I do,鈥� Leo wrote.
It isn鈥檛 just Leo鈥檚 philanthropy that is controversial. His business at local establishments presents a quandary for shop owners and service workers. Many said they oppose Leo鈥檚 political positions, but they need his money to sustain their enterprises.
Leo, a devout Roman Catholic, has also used money to influence the island鈥檚 Catholic churches. Sacred Spaces Foundation, a nonprofit that counts Leo as its president and sole member, purchased St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church in Northeast Harbor for $2.65 million in 2023 from the Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland, according to records obtained from the county government.
Leo is a regular at another parish, Holy Redeemer, a large stone sanctuary in Bar Harbor. His presence has driven off some longtime congregants, residents said. Asked about people leaving the island church, Leo wrote he was 鈥渢hankful for every person who takes the time to come to Holy Redeemer."
鈥橦e isn鈥檛 going anywhere鈥�
Not everyone is upset about Leo鈥檚 Maine move.
Since 2020, Leo鈥檚 network has funneled over $1 million to conservative causes in the state, including around and .
Those donations have only deepened the opposition to Leo among his most frequent protesters. Though energized, they have come to accept that they may never drive Leo from the island.
鈥淗e is succeeding,鈥� admitted Bo Greene, a 63-year-old who lives in Bar Harbor, citing the way nonprofits have taken his money. 鈥淲e are making him uncomfortable, and he hates us,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut he is still here.鈥�
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Researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed from New York.
Dan Merica, The Associated Press
