OMG, Adelson is (gulp!) winning!

Up until 2014, Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson didn’t have much to tout in the way of political successes.

From the long-ago days when he tried — unsuccessfully — to take over the Clark County Commission to 2012, when he funded failed Republican presidential hopefuls Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney to this year, in which he backed failed lieutenant governor candidate Sue Lowden and failed congressional candidate Niger Innis, money from Adelson was always like the Flying Dutchman of politics: Once you see it, you’re doomed.

(There are some exceptions, of course: Adelson helped elect Clark County Commissioner Lance Malone, who later was convicted of being the bagman for strip club owner Mike Galardi in the G-sting bribery scandal. And Adelson’s dollars helped elect U.S. Sen. Dean Heller in 2012 over former Sands employee Shelley Berkley. Plus, Adelson has backed successful candidates in other states.)

But now, Adelson is notching a growing list of successful initiatives nationally and locally. A quick list:

1. Florida medical marijuana. Adelson was almost the sole financial backer of the opponents of a Florida constitutional amendment that would have allowed for medical marijuana in that state. Although the measure passed 58 percent to 42 percent, Florida requires a 60 percent supermajority to amend its constitution, so legalization failed. (Adelson donated about $5 million to the anti-legalization campaign.)

2. Online gambling. Adelson had already made great strides in winning his fight against the legalization of online gambling. He’d essentially silenced the American Gaming Association on the issue, after MGM Resorts Chairman Jim Murren was elected AGA chairman and declared he wanted the group to focus its energy elsewhere.

But thanks to the Republican takeover of Capitol Hill (which Adelson helped along with $5 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund; nearly $100,000 to the Republican National Committee; and nearly $65,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee), the odds of Internet gambling being legalized are longer than ever.

3. Home-state wins. In addition to maxing out to Rep. Joe Heck, Adelson’s money helped in other critical races, too. He gave $10,000 to Attorney General-elect Adam Laxalt. He donated $182,000 to the NV Jobs PAC and $300,000 to the New Nevada PAC. All of that money went to help Republicans win in Nevada this year.

Now, does anybody doubt that Adelson would spend millions fighting the legalization of medical marijuana on the other side of the country and not, say, spend millions more fighting efforts to legalize recreational marijuana here in his home state of Nevada in 2016? (I’m assuming that the 2015 Legislature — now under new management — won’t approve the recently submitted petition to legalize marijuana outright in Nevada.) Does anyone doubt he’ll want to be involved in the Nevada 2016 U.S. Senate race, especially if incumbent Harry Reid decides not to seek re-election? Adelson has long been the No. 1 GOP donor in Nevada (they had a special caucus just for him in 2012!), and with the statehouse in shaky Republican control, that’s only going to enhance his status.