Donor
Sheldon Adelson
IndividualChairman, Las Vegas Sands (died 2021) · Nevada
19 reported gifts; 9 recipient groups listed, as reported to the FEC by the groups that received them.
Sheldon Adelson gave $108M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2020 federal elections, and 99% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Dec 31, 2020). Among dollars with a matched election-stage result, 34% were on the winning side ($29M won, $58M lost). $1.7M had no matched result and is excluded.
Gave to outside spenders
$108M
99% of it helped Republicans
Winning share of scored dollars
34%
$87M scored (81% of gifts)
Spent on the losing side
$58M
Not allocated or result unknown
$20M
$19M not allocated to tracked outside spending; $1.7M has no matched result. Neither is cash on hand.
Where the checks went
| Group | Gave | How the group spent it | Won / lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preserve America PAC $996K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $45M | $0 / $44M | |
| Senate Leadership Fund $14M not allocated to tracked outside spending | $35M | $12M / $9.4M | |
| Congressional Leadership Fund $3.6M not allocated to tracked outside spending | $25M | $17M / $3.1M | |
| Rjc Victory Fund $112K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $1.3M | $253K / $872K | |
| Georgia Action Fund $280K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $750K | $0 / $470K | |
| Security Is Strength PAC $45K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $500K | $429K / $26K | |
| NRCC $39K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $53K | $13K / $1K | |
| Republican National Committee $35K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $36K | $0 / $277 | |
| NRSC $23K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $36K | $7K / $5K |
The trail
What the money bought
| Candidate | Race | Spending | Their share | Paid off? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Biden | President | Attacking | $45M | ✗ No |
| Jon Ossoff | Georgia Senate | Attacking | $6.6M | ✗ No |
| Cal Cunningham | North Carolina Senate | Attacking | $3.4M | ✓ Yes |
| Steve Bullock | Montana Senate | Attacking | $1.8M | ✓ Yes |
| Jaime Harrison | South Carolina Senate | Attacking | $1.5M | ✓ Yes |
| Theresa Greenfield | Iowa Senate | Attacking | $1.4M | ✓ Yes |
| Gary Peters | Michigan Senate | Attacking | $1.3M | ✗ No |
| Barbara Bollier | Kansas Senate | Attacking | $1.1M | ✓ Yes |
| Mark Kelly | Arizona Senate | Attacking | $1.1M | ✗ No |
| Anthony J. Brindisi | New York 22nd District | Attacking | $988K | ✓ Yes |
| Sara I. Gideon | Maine Senate | Attacking | $911K | ✓ Yes |
| Joni Ernst | Iowa Senate | Supporting | $882K | ✓ Yes |
Individual as classified from the FEC entity type and public reporting.
Questions people ask
- How much did Sheldon Adelson spend on the 2020 elections, and did it win?
- Sheldon Adelson gave $108M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2020 federal elections, and 99% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Dec 31, 2020). Among dollars with a matched election-stage result, 34% were on the winning side ($29M won, $58M lost). $1.7M had no matched result and is excluded.
- Which super PACs did Sheldon Adelson fund in 2020?
- Preserve America PAC ($45M), Senate Leadership Fund ($35M), Congressional Leadership Fund ($25M), Rjc Victory Fund ($1.3M), Georgia Action Fund ($750K).
- Which candidates did Sheldon Adelson's money end up backing or attacking in 2020?
- against Joe Biden (President, about $45M, lost); against Jon Ossoff (Georgia Senate, about $6.6M, lost); against Cal Cunningham (North Carolina Senate, about $3.4M, won). Amounts are the donor's share of each group's spending.