News broke Wednesday that casino magnate Sheldon Adelson is giving a $10 million contribution to the Mitt Romney-backing super PAC Restore Our Future, bringing his contribution total for the 2012 cycle to $36.5 million.
Whether the check-writing ends there isn't clear. But it seems unlikely, as it took less than 24 hours for Forbes to report that Adelson's contributions to super PACs in 2012 would be closer to $100 million or, even, "limitless."
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Limitless donations are the new reality of post-Citizens United politics. But it's still worth occasionally stepping back to consider just how much money is being spent on this election. What else could be purchased with Adelson's money?
For Adelson, the $10 million donation he just made to Romney is equivalent to $40 for an American family with a net worth of $100,000, according to Forbes. But that same $36.5 million would have bought Adelson 7,300 nights -- 20 years -- in the penthouse suite at his own Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino. Below, a roundup of what else he could have purchased instead.
Enough seats for the NBA Finals in Miami -- 73,000 -- to buy out the entire stadium for three games and still buy everyone in the stands six Pepsi and hotdog combos.
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Three hundred ninety-four Starbucks lattes for each of the 28,500 employees at the Venetian.
Thirty-three campaigns for the House of Representatives, or five campaigns for the Senate.
Nate Willis, Cole Stangler and Gregory Rosalsky contributed to this report.
Below, more top super PAC donors seeking to make their mark on the 2012 elections:
Romney Super PAC Donors
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