UPDATE: George LeMieux announced this morning that he's dropping out of the race.
A Las Vegas billionaire who has said he could dump as much as $100 million into the 2012 elections has donated $1 million of that chump change to a super PAC backing Republican Rep. Connie Mack in his race for U.S. Senate, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
It's not the first time casino magnate Sheldon Adelson has taken advantage of the independent PAC framework to get around contribution limits in the state: He donated $250,000 to a PAC that supports Gov. Rick Scott earlier this month.
Mack, despite facing an August primary against George LeMieux, Mike McCalister, and Dave Weldon, declined a debate invitation earlier this month because, as a spokesman put it, "It's clear the race for the U.S. Senate in Florida is now between Connie Mack, the Republican, and Bill Nelson, the Democrat."
He's also attracted high-profile endorsements from Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, and Sen. Rand Paul. A poll from the end of May showed Mack with a considerable advantage over his primary opponents, but also that Mack and LeMieux were both close to Nelson.
