Sheldon (right) and Miriam Adelson at a Capitol Hill event in Washington on March 2, 2015. The billionaires donated $32 million in September to support Republican candidates. (Gary Cameron/Reuters/file)
Billionaires Sheldon and Miriam Adelson donated $32 million in September alone to boost GOP candidates in the midterms and support President Trump’s agenda, bringing their contributions to GOP super PACs this cycle to at least $87 million and securing their status as the biggest political donors of the 2018 midterms.
In September, the casino magnate and his wife, a physician, gave $20 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, which backs GOP candidates; $10 million to America First Action, a super PAC supporting Trump’s agenda; and $2 million to the conservative super PAC Ending Spending Action Fund, according to new Federal Election Commision filings Monday night.
The Adelsons had already given $55 million in support of holding the GOP majority in both chambers of Congress this fall — including $30 million to CLF and $25 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, the main GOP super PAC backing Senate Republicans.
[Meet the wealthy donors pouring millions into the 2018 elections]
The couple gave $5 million each to America First Action, the largest single donation the super PAC received since it launched last year. America First Action and an affiliated nonprofit, America First Policies, is an independent operation stocked with former Trump aides that aims to raise $100 million this cycle to elect Republicans to Congress and promote Trump’s agenda.
The Adelsons gave $1 million each to Ending Spending Action Fund, which is running ads against Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Tex.), who is challenging incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz.