Pro Sports Owners Have Poured Over $100 Million Into the Midterms

Pro sports team owners have funneled over $100 million into the 2026 midterm elections, with the majority of the funding directed towards Republican candidates. The bulk of the contributions came from Miriam Adelson, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, who has given at least $67 million to assist Republicans in maintaining control of Congress.

Adelson, a prominent political figure, previously contributed over $100 million to Donald Trump's 2024 campaign and has joked about offering him $250 million to run for a third term if he were to run again.

While the majority of top donors were Republican owners, some Democrats received funding as well. Vinod Khosla, the new owner of the Seattle Seahawks, contributed $2 million to the Democrats' Senate Majority PAC. Other notable donations included $250,000 from the Ricketts family (Cubs and NWSL Stars) to Democratic candidates and Illinois Future PAC, as well as $300,000 from Arthur Blank (Falcons) to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Notable sports figures who are not primary team owners but have spent significant amounts on elections include Ken Griffin, who has given at least $32 million to Republican candidates and PACs, and Michael Bloomberg, who has spent at least $80 million supporting Democrats in the House. Todd Boehly, the minority owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, donated $1 million to Trump's PAC, MAGA Inc., and smaller amounts to other Republican candidates.

Casey Wasserman, the LA28 chief, also contributed a half-million dollars across both Republican and Democratic candidates.