Major Donor Ricketts Will Back Trump
Donald Trump is waking up to good news.
With less than 50 days before Election Day, Chicago Cubs owners Joe and Marlene Ricketts have decided to back Trump.
The Republican donors have decided to back the Republican nominee because they don’t want Hillary Clinton to win and because the closer Trump can keep the race, the better chance Republicans have of keeping the Senate red, according to spokesperson Brian Baker.
The Ricketts have been critical of the Republican nominee in the past, even being one of the largest donors to Our Principles PAC, the anti-Trump PAC during the Republican Primary. Since Trump won the nomination, the Ricketts had been spending money to ensure the Senate stays in Republican hands by helping GOP candidates including Sen. Kelly Ayotte in N.H. and Joe Heck in Nevada.
It’s not yet clear what vehicle they will move the money. They already have a super PAC, Ending Spending Action, but Baker said they could create a new entity. They will not, however, give to a super PAC controlled by someone else. While all the money will be spent on television and digital ads, they want control over how the money is spent.
Also unclear is how much they will spend. When asked if it would be $10 million or $50 million, Baker said it could be either.
Another Republican mega-donor, Sheldon Adelson, is also getting involved in the 2016 race. He is giving at least $20 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, the group run by Karl Rove to elect Senate Republicans, NBC News confirmed.
