Ryan Nicol
Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, are stepping into another competitive South Florida congressional race, as they put forward maxed-out contributions to Republican candidate Carlos Giménez.
Giménez, the term-limited Mayor of Miami-Dade County, is running for Florida’s 26th Congressional District, currently held by Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
Giménez is battling Omar Blanco, the former head of Miami-Dade Firefighters Local 1403, for the Republican nomination.
Sheldon Adelson donated $2,800 to the Giménez primary bid and another $2,800 for the Mayor’s potential general election run. Miriam Adelson also gave the same two maximum donations.
The newest contributions follow the Adelsons’ decision to help out Republican candidate Maria Elvira Salazar in Florida’s 27th Congressional District. The Adelsons also recently dropped maxed-out contributions into Salazar’s campaign coffers as she seeks to oust Democratic Rep. Donna Shalala.
It’s unclear if the recent donations foretell additional assistance from Adelson in the form of PAC money to help Republicans wrest back these seats. Both swapped from Republican to Democratic control in the 2018 midterms.
Adelson is a prominent GOP donor, both in Florida and nationwide. He serves as the Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO, among his many business operations in Nevada.
The donations showed up as part of the “48-Hour Notice” window. Within 20 days of an election, all donations of $1,000 or more must be reported separately to the FEC. That requirement remains in effect until 48 hours before Election Day.
While the money will help Giménez, the Republican has consistently trailed Mucarsel-Powell in fundraising. In the most recent pre-primary reports, Mucarsel-Powell out-raised Giménez by a $195,000 to $121,000 margin.
Mucarsel-Powell still has $2.8 million in cash on hand, while Giménez is sitting on $882,000.
The district spans portions of southern Miami-Dade County, including Homestead, as well as all of Monroe County, covering the Keys. Giménez and Blanco will face off in the Aug. 18 GOP primary for the right to challenge Mucarsel-Powell in the Nov. 3 general election.
