Dallas Mavericks owner Miriam Adelson remains queen among sports team owners when it comes to political donations.
Adelson, whose net worth is $30 billion, according to Forbes, has pumped at least $68 million into various Republican political committees across numerous federal-level campaigns during the 2026 midterms, according to a Washington Sun analysis of Federal Election Commission data.
While Adelson’s political spending remains in its own galaxy among American professional sports team owners, she’s hardly the only one to spend big this election season.
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More than 50 owners across top North American sports leagues — Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League — made at least one donation this election cycle.
Together, these sports owners donated at least $100 million, with Adelson accounting for nearly 70% of the giving. While Adelson’s money solely went to Republican causes, numerous owners donated to Democratic causes in smaller amounts. Some gave money to both parties, and others donated to their league’s federal political action committee, which both MLB and the NFL have.
Front Office Sports first reported some details of major league sports owners’ political spending on Wednesday.
A few owners have ties to President Donald Trump and have served in one of his administrations, including Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, who is the president’s ambassador to Italy.
In January 2025, Adelson and Fertitta co-hosted a black tie welcome reception in honor of Trump’s second inauguration. Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is the sister-in-law of Orlando Magic owner Dan DeVos, who donated more than $1 million to various Republican causes.
Meanwhile, the Ricketts family, which owns the Chicago Cubs, counts Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts and former Republican National Committee finance chair Todd Ricketts, as Trump-aligned members.
Adelson’s midterm donations come after giving $100 million to help reelect Trump in 2024. Her combined donations of $168 million the past two cycles is more than the team salary for five NBA teams this season.
The 81-year-old physician has also reportedly given $25 million to Trump’s White House ballroom project, according to The Washington Post. Adelson’s wealth stems from her late husband, Sheldon, a Republican megadonor who founded the Las Vegas Sands casinos and who died in 2021. Adelson inherited her husband’s fortune upon his death.
In December 2025, Adelson told reporters she would give Trump another $250 million if the president ran for a third term. A spokesman for Adelson didn’t respond to a request for comment.
“I met [Trump’s lawyer] Alan Dershowitz,” Adelson told reporters at a Hanukkah celebration. “He said the legal thing about 4 more years. I said Alan, ‘I agree with you. We can do it. Think about it.’”
Adelson bought the Mavericks from longtime owner Mark Cuban in December 2023 for $3.5 billion, but her son-in-law, Patrick Dumont, has been the team’s governor and league representative since the purchase.
Republicans Get Major Boost
Sports team owners backing Republicans are continuing to spend big ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
The Ricketts family remains big political spenders pouring over $800,000 into this midterm cycle. Their spending is divided among Laura Ricketts, the first openly gay owner in MLB history, who’s spent $320,000 on Democratic causes, and her brothers, Tom and Todd, who’ve together spent $480,000 on Republican causes.
The Ricketts siblings own the team through a trust. The media department for the Chicago Cubs did not respond to requests for comment or to confirm those donations. The associate communications director for the Chicago Stars Football Club, owned by Laura Ricketts, referred The Sun to the CEO of Culloton + Bauer Luce, a PR firm that works with Laura Ricketts directly. The firm declined to comment.
San Francisco Giants owner Charles Johnson eclipsed the Ricketts’ family contributions, giving more than $3 million. John Middleton, the owner of the Philadelphia Phillies, outspent most of the MLB ownership, but his $137,369.97 Republican spending paled in comparison to the league’s superspenders.
The NFL — and other leagues — also has several big spenders.
Jimmy Haslam III, owner of the Cleveland Browns and Milwaukee Bucks, put more than $1.4 million behind Republicans this election. Nearly a quarter of that amount went to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The National Republican Congressional Committee received $155,500.
Jimmy Haslam outspent his younger brother Bill Haslam, owner of the Nashville Predators. Bill Haslam contributed nearly $160,000 to Republican causes, including the NRSC. A spokesman for Haslam Sports Group did not respond to a request for comment.
Rob Walton, Denver Broncos owner and heir to the Walmart fortune, divided more than $10 million among conservative causes. Walton also owns a 10% stake in the Arizona Diamondbacks, and his son-in-law Greg Penner is the face of Broncos ownership.
Seahawks owner Vinod Khosla gave more than $2.1 million to Democratic causes, with $2 million going to the Senate Majority PAC. Khosla gave smaller donations to Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia) and Reps. Sam Liccardo (D-California) and Bill Foster (D-Illinois) among other candidates.
Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, gave more than $500,000 to Republicans. Half of the donation went to Paxton Victory, a political committee backing Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton in Texas.
Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank has contributed $312,000 to Democratic political causes. Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross spent $130,900 in a bipartisan fashion. And Los Angeles Chargers owner Dean Spanos gave $108,500 to Republicans.
New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson poured $105,500 into midterm campaigns, with $40,000 going to committees connected to Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), who lost in a primary earlier this year.
Over at the NBA, Adam Silver, the league’s commissioner and a Duke University alumnus, aimed his spending at North Carolina, donating $20,000 to the Cooper Victory Fund — a committee tied to Roy Cooper — and $5,000 to the North Carolina Democratic Party. Silver is a longtime Democratic donor and gave another $16,000 to other Democratic congressional candidates.
While the DeVos family behind the Orlando Magic can’t knock Adelson’s crown as the biggest spender, the family is still a political spending dynasty in their own right.
Four members of the DeVos family — Dick, Dan, Doug and Pamella — together spent more than $4 million to boost Republican midterm efforts at the federal level. This includes $1.5 million to the Senate Leadership Fund and $700,000 to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a pair of super PACs aligned with Republican congressional leaders.
Dick DeVos donated $500,000 to the AFC Victory Fund, a national super PAC prioritizing education freedom and backing pro-school choice candidates.
The media department for the Orlando Magic did not respond to a request for comment or a confirmation.
Other notable contributions from NBA owners include: Atlanta Hawks owner Tony Ressler’s $2 million donation to the Americans for Prosperity Action PAC, Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé’s $250,000 donation to the RNC and the over $160,000 in bipartisan spending from Miami Heat owner Micky Arison.
Fertitta, the ambassador and Houston Rockets owner, gave $200,000 to the Republican National Committee this election.
Landry’s Inc., Fertitta’s dining, hospitality, entertainment and gaming company, referred The Sun to the company’s PR department, which did not respond to a request for comment and confirmation.
The Sun analyzed FEC records from Jan. 1, 2025, through Oct. 14, 2026, to gauge spending among sports owners from the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL. (Many NBA owners also own a WNBA team.)
Individual donors may donate unlimited amounts of money to super PACs, which in turn may spend unlimited amounts to advocate for or against political candidates. But individuals may only donate $3,500 to individual candidates’ campaigns once per election. Donations to national party committees such as the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee are also limited by law, but not as much.
Tepid Spending Among Washington Team Owners
In the nation’s capital city, Washington team owners were relatively constrained in their political spending this election cycle.
Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris gave $250,000 to the Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC. He also donated $5,000 to the NFL’s Gridiron PAC, to which the majority of league’s owners contribute. Minority team owners Mark Ein, and Mark Lipschultz matched Harris’s donation.
A spokesman for Harris didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The NFL and MLB are the two major sports leagues that sponsor a federal PAC.
Monumental Sports CEO Ted Leonsis, who owns Washington’s Capitals, Wizards, Mystics and basketball G League’s Go-Go, gave $7,000 across the primary and general elections to both Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia). Leonsis gave an additional $10,000 to a PAC for Warner.
Leonsis is also listed as the donor of a $105,000 contribution to the Monumental Sports PAC, but that’s actually a corporate contribution, a source with knowledge of his donations told The Sun.
Leonsis is credited for the amount as Monumental Sports controlling owner. He further gave $3,000 to the Democratic Party of Virginia, donating $20,000 total outside of his company’s PAC. Leonsis is a longtime donor to the Democratic Party.
Nationals owner Mark Lerner gave $5,000 to MLB’s Commissioner PAC, and gave another $7,500 to Dylan Hewitt (D), a candidate for a House seat in New York’s 21st Congressional District. Lerner also donated $1,200 to Cait Conley (D), another congressional candidate running in New York’s 17th District.
The lack of political spending extends north up Interstate 95. Both Baltimore sports owners — baseball’s David Rubenstein (Orioles) and football’s Stephen Bisciotti (Ravens) — each gave $5,000 to their respective league PACs.
Blame Canada?
The National Hockey League is the least politically active professional sports league, perhaps because the league has seven Canadian teams with Canadian owners and foreign donations are prohibited in U.S. elections.
Philip Anschutz, owner of the Los Angeles Kings, was the NHL’s biggest spender giving $2.34 million this midterm cycle, spread among dozens of Republican candidates and committees.
That includes $620,200 to the National Republican Congressional Committee, $509,100 to the Johnson Leadership Fund and $75,000 to the Scalise Leadership Fund.
Tampa Bay Lightning owner Marc Lipschultz followed, giving Republicans a $445,100 boost.
Former Pro Athletes Attract Owner Cash
A pro football showdown is brewing in Arizona, but it doesn’t involve a stadium.
Jay Feely, a former placekicker who played in the NFL for more than a decade, is running to replace fellow Republican Rep. David Schweikert, who did not run for reelection and instead ran for Arizona governor. (He lost in a primary.)
Feely’s journeyman career — he played for six teams, including the Arizona Cardinals — is seemingly paying dividends, with NFL owners from six teams (four of which Feely played for) collectively putting over $36,000 toward his campaign.
Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill donated $7,000 directly to Feely’s campaign earlier this year, split between his primary and general election campaigns, according to The Sun’s review of campaign finance records.
Feely has also received support from the sports world outside of the NFL’s franchise owners: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and former NBA star Charles Barkley, the latter of whom resides in Arizona, both donated $7,000 to the ex-kicker’s campaign, the maximum allowable under federal law between primary and general elections. Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell also gave $500, according to FEC data. O’Connell and Feely played together on the Jets in 2009.
Feely’s opponent, Democrat Amish Shah, also has an NFL connection: Shah previously worked as a team doctor for the New York Jets. This included Feely’s tenure with the Jets during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. No NFL team owners, who largely lean Republican in their partisan donations, have financially backed Shah since Jan. 1, 2025, according to The Sun’s analysis.
Texas Rangers owner Ray Davis put $7,500 behind a joint fundraising committee tied to former MLB all-star Mark Teixeira, who began his 14-season major league career with the franchise and is now running to represent Texas’ 21st Congressional District, which stretches from San Antonio north toward Austin and west through largely rural south-central Texas counties.
Teixeira has been a fundraising magnet for Republicans. House Republicans are bringing the Republican far outside his district, Politico reported, joining House Speaker Mike Johnson throughout New York state — Teixeira played for the New York Yankees during much of his career.
Much of Teixeira’s campaign is self-financed: The Republican loaned it just under $2.8 million throughout late 2025 and early 2026, according to campaign finance reports. Teixeira earned over $222.1 million over his MLB career, according to Spotrac.
Democrat Colin Allred, the former House member and linebacker with the Tennessee Titans who is running in Texas’ 33rd Congressional District, which includes parts of Dallas and surrounding suburbs, hasn’t gotten the same treatment from his old employer.
Instead, Allred has largely funded his House campaign through a combination of small-dollar donors and leftover funds from his failed Senate campaign, according to FEC data. Allred dropped out before the Texas Senate primary and endorsed Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who ultimately fell in a primary to Democratic nominee James Talarico.
Neither Feely, Shah, Teixeira nor Allred responded to The Sun’s request for comment.
Amy Adams Strunk, controlling owner of the Tennessee franchise, where Allred played, has only made one federal donation this cycle: $5,000 to Gridiron-PAC this past March, according to FEC data.
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