Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino magnate and profligate Republican bankroller, would like to spend his fortune on a winning candidate in 2016. That's because Adelson and his wife dumped almost $93 million on the 2012 elections — nearly four times more than any other individual — most of it on losing candidates. And while that sum included $30 million for eventual GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, much of it was also wasted propping up Newt Gingrich's shaky primary campaign, and on various losing candidates around the country.
So this time around, Adelson is already looking for a more mainstream GOP presidential candidate to shower with donations, according to The Washington Post, which reports that the Adelsons are "plotting their investments based not on personal loyalty, but on a much more strategic aim" of putting a Republican in the White House. As the The Post noted, that would seem to favor establishment candidates — the Jeb Bushes of the GOP field — over potential insurgents like Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Rand Paul (Ky.) And wouldn't you know it, four potential mainstream candidates — Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich — will meet with Adelson later this week when they address the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 20, 2025Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - Pam Bondi, retirement planning, and more
-
5 heavy-handed cartoons about ICE and deportationCartoons Artists take on international students, the Supreme Court, and more
-
Exploring the three great gardens of JapanThe Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contemptSpeed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cutsSpeed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deporteeSpeed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
-
Trump says electronics tariff break won't lastSpeed Read The tariff exemptions on smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are temporary, the administration says
-
Man charged in arson attack on Pennsylvania's ShapiroSpeed Read Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping when someone set fire to his Harrisburg mansion
-
White House pushes for oversight of Columbia UniversitySpeed Read The Trump administration is considering placing the school under a consent decree
-
Supreme Court backs wrongly deported migrantSpeed Read The Trump administration must 'facilitate' the return of wrongfully deported migrant Kilmar Ábrego García from El Salvador, Supreme Court says
-
Two judges bar war-powers deportationsSpeed Read The Trump administration was blocked from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport more alleged Venezuelan gang members
