Overview
- The Front Office Sports series published Oct. 28–29, 2026, using FEC disclosures, found Charles B. Johnson gave about $2.6 million in the 2026 midterm cycle, more than all other MLB principal owners combined.
- Johnson’s itemized gifts included roughly $1 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, $525,000 to the Senate Leadership Fund, six additional six-figure transfers to the NRCC and NRSC, and donations to a joint fundraising committee led by Rep. Mike Johnson.
- MLB principal owners together donated just over $4 million this cycle and the league’s largest six donors gave only to Republican or nonpartisan causes while many owners’ spokespeople declined to comment.
- The pattern crosses leagues: Los Angeles Kings owner Philip Anschutz was the highest-spending NHL owner with more than $500,000 to the Johnson Leadership Fund and over $1.3 million to Republican causes across two years.
- The reporting relies on public FEC records to show concentrated partisan giving by a few wealthy owners, a lack of on-the-record explanations from those owners, and the likelihood of heightened political and reputational scrutiny as campaign groups use the funds in battleground races.