Richard Johnson

Richard Johnson

Celebrity News

Vegas or bust for Republicans

Las Vegas has a big advantage over the other five cities hoping to host the Republican National Convention in 2016: Sheldon Adelson.

Adelson — the owner of the Las Vegas Sands (which operates resorts and casinos all over the world, including the Venetian and the Palazzo in Vegas) — has a net worth of $40 billion, and he donated $100 million in 2012 to the campaigns of Newt Gingrich and then Mitt Romney.

“Sheldon is adamant that the GOP must go to Vegas,” said one source. Some GOPers fear that if Adelson doesn’t get his way, he’ll give a couple hundred million dollars to the Democrats just for spite.

The other five cities in contention are Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver and Kansas City.

Evangelical Christians oppose “Sin City” for the GOP party, saying it sends the wrong message, but Adelson “doesn’t want to hear it,” said my source.

Adelson, 80, hosted the four-day Republican Jewish Coalition conference in Vegas a week ago, drawing potential presidential candidates Jeb Bush and governors Chris Christie of New Jersey, John Kasich of Ohio and Scott Walker of Wisconsin.

Politico reported that Adelson quipped that he couldn’t oblige a request from the RJC for a $50 million contribution because the group’s executive director, Matt Brooks, didn’t have change for $1 billion.