U.S. Senate Candidate Carla Sands Funds Most of Her Own Campaign

Carla Sands, a Republican who has been a chiropractor, actor, and ambassador to Denmark, is now running for the U.S. Senate. Sands, who has long supported Republican politicians, is her own largest financial campaign contributor. What is Sands' net worth as she embarks on this campaign?

Sands has held many roles over the years and she raised large amounts of money for Trump’s campaign in 2016. Now, in the U.S. Senate race for the state of Pennsylvania, she has put in $3.1 million of her own money and financed a $1 million television advertisement.

Despite providing significant fundraising support to former President Trump during his 2016 campaign, Sands will have to face the upcoming Senate race without his endorsement. Trump has officially given his endorsement in the race to former Army Ranger Sean Parnell.

So far, it seems that securing Trump’s seal of approval is important for GOP candidates. CNN reported this week that “Trump is using the sway of his endorsement to reshape the party in his image, backing challengers to Republican incumbents who cross him or rewarding the most loyal candidates with his blessing.”

Sands served as an economic adviser to Trump. She was one of eight women added to the list after Trump was criticized for initially appointing an all-male team. She also held a lavish fundraiser for the presidential campaign in 2016 at her Bel-Air home. Sands references Trump and her service during his presidency in her new TV ad although he isn’t endorsing her for Senate.

Sands is running for the Senate seat that will be vacated by current Senator Pat Toomey. Parnell is a top contender in the race. He's beloved by the Trump family but faces questions of integrity based on protection-from-abuse orders filed by his wife in 2017 and 2018. Jeff Bartos is another candidate in the field.

Sands has contributed $3 million of her own money to the campaign coffers out of a total of $3.5 million in registered donations. Her exact net worth might become clearer when she makes the financial disclosures required of all candidates for U.S. office.

In her new TV ad, Sands criticizes “weak” politicians. She said, “I approved this message because I can’t be bought and I won’t back down.” In the ad, when referencing the weak Republicans who cave in to pressure, images of Senator Mitt Romney and Representative Liz Cheney appear.

Sands said that she's running “to stop the Biden Administration’s socialist agenda and to put America and Pennsylvania First.”

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sands became the CEO of Vintage Capital following the death of her husband, Fred Sands, in 2015. The firm had a reported $150 million in assets as of 2019. It isn't clear what her current net worth is, but she sold her Bel Air mansion in 2019 for $19.5 million and a Malibu oceanfront property for $13.656 million the year before.