What Did $200M In Political Donations Buy Sheldon Adelson? Not Much.
What does $200 million in political donations buy you? Not that much, according to a new story in Bloomberg on Sheldon Adelson’s political spending.
The Jewish casino magnate has been a major financial supporter of the political aspirations of Mitt Romney, Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump and dozens of other candidates, successful and otherwise.
Yet Bloomberg notes that many of Adelson’s political objectives have failed, despite his heavy giving. He’s been unable to block marijuana legalization efforts or online gambling. And despite President Trump’s promises, the U.S. Embassy to Israel remains in Tel Aviv.
His track record with candidates has been similarly rocky. In 2012, nearly all the candidates he supported in the U.S. federal elections lost.
For all that, the multi-billionaire doesn’t mind much, his friends say. “Sheldon is Sheldon,” Republican public relations consultant Sig Rogich told Bloomberg. “I don’t think a guy who’s worth $33 billion is having a bad day.”
Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!