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This is part of a Front Office Sports series about sports spending in the 2026 midterm elections.
With control of Congress on the line, the billionaires who own U.S. pro sports teams have spent tens of millions of dollars—mostly going to Republicans—attempting to influence the outcome in next week’s elections.
A Front Office Sports analysis of spending by owners in federal races found that dozens of owners in the country’s biggest sports leagues combined to give at least $100 million to candidates in House and Senate races.
The biggest donor, by far, was Mavericks owner Miriam Adelson, who has put at least $67 million into helping Republicans keep control of Congress.
Adelson, an Israeli-born physician who inherited her husband’s casino fortune when he died in 2021, is one of the most influential figures in American politics. She spent more than $100 million helping Donald Trump return to the White House in the 2024 election, and Trump joked last year that she offered him $250 million to run for a third term.
No other principal owner spent more than $10 million on this national election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission records, which cover contributions to individual candidates in federal races, political action committees, and other political groups such as state and federal party committees.
The FOS analysis covers donations from Jan. 1, 2025, through this year. Most of the other top donors among principal owners were Republicans, although new Seahawks owner Vinod Khosla gave $2 million to the Democrats’ Senate Majority PAC, which can then disburse funds in key races.
Eight other owners of teams spent at least $1 million attempting to elect Republicans: Rob Walton (Broncos), Charles B. Johnson (San Francisco Giants), Dick DeVos (Magic), Tony Ressler (Hawks), Jimmy and Dee Haslam (Bucks, Browns, Crew), Jerry Jones Sr. (Cowboys), and Philip Anschutz (Galaxy, Los Angeles Kings).
Laura Ricketts, whose family owns the Cubs and NWSL’s Stars, gave $250,000 to Democrats’ Illinois Future PAC and donated to several other Democratic candidates. Falcons owner Arthur Blank gave $300,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, $3,500 to New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and $3,500 to Republican and former NFL kicker Jay Feely.
FEC data does not cover state-level races or untraceable “dark money” donations. Knicks owner James Dolan has donated heavily to Bruce Blakeman, the Republican candidate for governor of New York. And many Ohio pro sports owners have financially backed Vivek Ramaswamy, the embattled Republican trying to become governor of Ohio, according to FOIABall.
Several sports figures who are not the primary owners of teams have spent huge sums on elections:
- Ken Griffin, a major donor to U.S. Soccer, has given at least $32 million to Republican candidates and political action committees. Griffin, a hedge fund billionaire, has backed Trump and Republicans for years.
- Michael Bloomberg, an investor in the Baltimore Orioles, has spent at least $80 million, with most of the money going to helping Democrats win the House. Bloomberg is the billionaire ex-mayor of New York City and has spent billions on his own campaigns and preferred candidates.
- Todd Boehly, the minority owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, gave $1 million to Trump’s PAC, MAGA Inc., plus small donations to a handful of Republican candidates in House races.
- Cody Campbell, the natural gas billionaire who has rallied support for the Protect College Sports Act through his Saving College Sports advocacy group, gave half a million dollars to MAGA Inc. and more than $2 million total backing various Republicans.
- Bill Ackman, the billionaire investor who has spent his money in tennis and other sports, gave $1 million to Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign, as well as much smaller donations to other races.
- Casey Wasserman, the LA28 chief, sprinkled a half-million dollars across candidates from both parties. Wasserman exited his talent agency amid a scandal over his close ties to Ghislaine Maxwell but has remained in charge of the 2028 Olympics.
Additionally, three major candidates—Jay Feely, Michele Tafoya, and Mark Teixeira—are trading on their sports celebrity in a bid to win races for Congress. All are Republicans, and all have received donations from a wide swath of the sports world.
This series was reported and produced by Amanda Christovich, Margaret Fleming, Eli Kronenberg, Katie Krzaczek, and Dennis Young.
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