SF Giants owner Charles Johnson poured a staggering $2.6 million into this election cycle, more than every other MLB owner combined, only to watch his preferred candidates get absolutely wiped out at the ballot box. We’re talking a political spending spree that delivered almost nothing but L’s, folks.
What $2.6 Million Actually Bought
Johnson wasn’t messing around, that’s for sure. Federal Election Commission filings show he directly backed 54 individual campaigns leading up to Election Day on Tuesday. We’re talking 18 Senate races, 35 House races, and one gubernatorial race, all of them for Republicans. Now, the actual direct donations to these candidates only tallied up to $168,026. Why so “little” compared to his overall spend? Individual contribution caps toward specific candidates, that’s why. But don’t think he stopped there, the man went all-in.
The Crushing Defeats
So, what’s the scoreboard looking like for Johnson’s massive investment? As of Friday midday, the record stands at a stunning 11 wins, 39 losses, with four races still too close to call. Oof. His House picks got absolutely hammered, with 31 losses and only two wins. Two House races are still uncalled there. The Senate side was a bit more balanced, an even eight wins and eight losses, with two still pending. The lone bright spot was his gubernatorial pick, Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire, who pulled out a win.
But here’s the real kicker: most of these losses went down smack dab in the middle of a “blue wave” sweeping the country. Twenty-two of Johnson’s chosen candidates not only didn’t win their elections, but their congressional seats flipped from red to blue. That even includes a couple of head-scratchers, like Iowa’s Joni Ernst, who retired before the general election, and Texas’ John Cornyn, who couldn’t even make it past the primary. The man threw cash at candidates who were already out of the running or couldn’t even get there!
Digging Into the Republican Causes
And what about the remaining $2.5 million of his cash? That all went directly into various Republican causes. We’re talking a cool $1 million dropped into a super PAC specifically dedicated to getting Republicans elected to the House. Plus, he shelled out around $317,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee and another $419,600 to the National Republican Congressional Committee. So yeah, he went for broke.
It’s one thing to spend big, but it’s another to see returns like this. Johnson bet huge, put his money where his mouth is, and pretty much struck out. When you throw that much cash around and end up with an 11-39 record, you gotta wonder if maybe it’s time to re-evaluate the strategy. This wasn’t just a loss, it was a political wipeout that money couldn’t buy its way out of.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply