Dark Money: Palestine, Mega Donors, and the 2018 Midterm Elections

From time to time, the Palestine Center distributes articles it believes will enhance understanding of the Palestinian political reality. The following article was published by Osamah Khalil in the Al Shabaka on October 14, 2018

“The 2018 mid-term elections are expected to be the most expensive in American history. Four years ago, the 2014 mid-term elections had fewer donors than in previous elections but spending still surpassed previous elections. To fill their campaign coffers, Democrats and Republicans are again expected to rely on mega donors. Democrats have outraised Republicans to date, and in response the Republican Party has turned to billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. ¹

Over the past decade, Adelson has been a leading donor to the Republican Party. He influenced President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital late last year and offered to partially underwrite the construction of the new US embassy. Faced with a large number of competitive races in 2018, Republicans were reportedly “desperate for Adelson’s millions.” Prior to the opening of the new Jerusalem embassy, Adelson donated $55 million to the Republican Party’s Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) and Senate Leadership Fund. Adelson’s contribution to the CLF was not only three times larger than the $10 million he donated in 2016, but it was given at a much earlier date. In the final weeks before the midterm elections, Adelson donated even more to the Republican Party.”

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The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Jerusalem Fund.

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