Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg hosted a fundraising dinner at his Palo Alto home Wednesday night for New Jersey's Republican Gov. Chris Christie.
This was the Facebook CEO's first time hosting a political fundraiser, who has no political affliation, and has been courted by Democratic President Barack Obama, too.
The goal is to introduce Christie - considered a moderate member of the GOP - to Zuckerberg's literal social network.
The fact that Zuckerberg would help both a Republican and a Democrat is not unusual, according to James Balassone, an executive in residence at Santa Clara University's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.
As a CEO, Balassone said that Zuckerberg is responsible for "nurturing and developing relationships in D.C." with people who may "one day end up regulating" the things he is vested in.
Both Zuckerberg and Christie, Balassone said, are "rock stars" in their worlds of politics and social networking.
The invite list was not been made public, but Silicon Valley heavy hitters were expected, according to CNBC.
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About 40 protesters stood outside Zuckerberg's house before the 6 p.m. event. They said they objected to Christie's visit because of his efforts to strip funding from Planned Parenthood and other women's reproductive health care programs.
Zuckerberg met Christie in 2010 when Zuckerberg donated $100 million to Newark public schools. The two shared the stage on a highly rated Oprah episode where she praised the donation.
The price of the meal on Wednesday night was $3,800, which is the New Jersey political donation limit. The money will be used to help Christie in his gubernatorial run later this year.
Because of his wealth and his position in Silicon Valley, Zuckerberg has rubbed elbows with Obama on several occasions, including attending a high profile dinner with the president and Silicon Valley elite in 2011.
Facebook also hosted a town hall for Obama during his first term in office.
NBC Bay Area's Kim Tere contributed to this report.
