GOP megadonor and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson has yet to commit to a Republican candidate, though he says he is leaning toward Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and his wife likes Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
But,
The Hill reports, Adelson appears to be holding out in part to see who has the best chance to beat front-runner Donald Trump.
"The guy is cagey," one conservative leader who recently talked to Adelson told The Hill. "He said, 'I like Rubio,' he did not say, 'I support him'… But he also said that his spouse feels more strongly about Cruz."
Adelson four years ago backed his longtime friend Newt Gingrich, whose attack ads against eventual nominee Mitt Romney are blamed by some for Romney's loss to Barack Obama.
While Adelson may not want to see a repeat of that experience, he also lacks such close relationships with anyone in the current field, The Hill Notes.
Further, his giving is usually tied to the fortunes of his casinos, and his properties in Macau have been hit with an investigation by the Chinese government of big money gamblers while The Sands in Las Vegas has seen its share prices drop.
Adelson is still talking with Rubio and Cruz, as well as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and all three are said to be holding out hope for Adelson's support.
"I suspect what he's doing now is sitting back and watching," Gingrich told The Hill. "Think about it as an investor. You've got 4-5 centrist conservatives sitting out there. You don't have any idea which one could emerge."
Sig Rogich, finance chair of Bush’s campaign in Nevada, said Adelson likely is waiting to see how the primaries play out as he has done in past elections, with the exception of Gingrich in 2012.
But one source told The Hill all of the speculation is nonsense.
"People who profess to be inside Sheldon's head or know what he's doing I would say are 99 percent full of s*** or trying to promote their own self importance," the source said.
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