Sands’ Dr. Miriam Adelson Makes First Federal Political Donation in Nearly Two Years

Posted on: May 15, 2024, 10:46h. 

Last updated on: May 22, 2024, 09:35h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Dr. Miriam Adelson, the largest individual shareholder of the Las Vegas Sands casino empire she inherited from her late husband, has made her first federal political donation in nearly two years. But the cash didn’t go directly to Donald Trump, the former president whose 2016 and 2020 White House campaigns she and her husband, Sheldon Adelson, dumped more than $200 million into.

Miriam Adelson Donald Trump Las Vegas Sands
Dr. Miriam Adelson remains the largest shareholder of Las Vegas Sands, the casino empire founded by her late husband. Adelson hasn’t yet donated to Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential bid, though she resumed her political spending in March after nearly two years. (Image: Haaretz)

Adelson controls 46% of the Sands organization following her $2 billion stock sell-off last year to acquire a controlling ownership position in the NBA Dallas Mavericks. Adelson, a stalwart Republican and perhaps the strongest pro-Israel voice in the United States, remained politically active in 2022 after the January 2021 death of her husband.

Adelson gave $1 million to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) reelection in 2022, a contribution many saw as an effort to win political favor for the state welcoming in commercial casinos. She also gave $20 million to GOP congressional committees that year.

Adelson’s political spending went quiet throughout 2023. But federal campaign finance records show that Adelson, who’s worth more than $30 billion, might be returning to the political arena ahead of the November 2024 presidential election.

PAC Money

Before 2024, Adelson’s last political donation was an $8,100 contribution in November 2022 to a California Republican’s Attorney General campaign. Records from the Federal Election Commission reveal that Adelson reopened her political treasure chest in March with a $5,000 donation to the Las Vegas Sands Political Action Committee (Sands PAC).

The Sands PAC predominantly supports Republican candidates both on the federal and state level. The PAC limits its contributions to a maximum of $5,000 per candidate.

Adelson pitching in $5,000 is rather uneventful, but it could hint that the billionaire is readying to ramp up her political spending. Adelson said during the 2024 GOP primary that she wouldn’t endorse or financially support a candidate in favor of allowing the Republican electorate to decide who should challenge President Joe Biden.

The primary is long over, yet Adelson hasn’t contributed to Trump’s 2024 campaign. He needs cash, as the costly lawsuits against him play out.

Adelson and her husband poured more than $524 million into Republican campaigns and PACs between 2011 and 2022.

Biden Outpacing Trump

According to the FEC, Biden has significantly more cash on hand than Trump. The incumbent has around $130.8 million in funds to spend on his 2024 campaign, while Trump is said to have around $66.7 million.

Adelson, of course, can singlehandedly push Trump above Biden, assuming the Democrats’ largest donors, including George Soros and Michael Bloomberg, don’t do the same with hefty donations to the president.

Trump will be without the support of Americans for Prosperity, the super PAC controlled by the Koch network. The group backed Nikki Haley during the 2024 GOP presidential primary. The Koch network is controlled by Charles Koch, one of the world’s richest individuals who has long been a Republican supporter, but a Trump foe.