Sheldon Adelson Aides in Talks to set up Pro-Trump Super PAC
politico.com
Adelson’s team has been in talks with a small group of big-name political consultants about setting up a new Donald Trump super PAC that could become the central outside entity supporting his candidacy.
By Alex Isenstadt | 05/31/16 12:40 PM EDT | Updated 05/31/16 01:18 PM EDT
Sheldon Adelson’s advisers are in talks about setting up a new Donald Trump super PAC that could become the central outside entity supporting his candidacy, according to three sources involved in the discussions.
Adelson’s team has been in talks with a small group of big-name political consultants, including former Republican Governors Association executive directors Nick Ayers and Phil Cox, former Rand Paul campaign manager Chip Englander, and former Mitch McConnell chief of staff Josh Holmes.
Those involved in the discussions stressed that no super PAC had yet been finalized, and that there are a number of details that still need to be worked out. Last week, Adelson adviser Andy Abboud met with Ayers in Las Vegas to discuss the possible group, according to two sources.
Chris Christie has also been involved in the discussions surrounding the yet-to-be-formed super PAC. The New Jersey governor, who has emerged as an outspoken Trump supporter, has played a leading role helping to coordinate talks between a national network of donors and the possible consultants. Christie, who’s also overseeing Trump’s presidential transition team, has been vocal about the need to establish a muscular centralized super PAC as opposed to having a multitude of competing ones, according to those who’ve discussed the matter with him.
The deliberations come amid mounting concern in GOP circles that no central pro-Trump outside entity has yet been established. While two Trump super PACs have formed – one overseen by veteran Republican strategist Ed Rollins, the other by former Ben Carson aide Doug Watts – many of the party’s top financiers have expressed wariness about donating to either.
The Adelson-led group, should it come to fruition, could alleviate that problem. The Las Vegas casino mogul has thrown his backing to Trump, and is expected to pour tens of millions of dollars behind him. During the 2012 campaign, Adelson, whose net worth is said to exceed $25 billion, spent more than $100 million.
The Adelson team is hoping to build a stable of blue-chip political strategists, and has reached out to a group that has deep experience in the worlds of gubernatorial and congressional politics.
Ayers, who spent four years overseeing the RGA, managed Tim Pawlenty’s 2012 presidential campaign and in 2014 worked for an outside group that helped Georgia Sen. David Purdue and served as chief strategist for Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner. Cox has deep ties to Christie, having served as the RGA executive director while the New Jersey governor was the committee’s chair. During the 2016 primary campaign, Cox oversaw Christie’s super PAC. Englander, who managed Rauner’s successful bid, worked for Rand Paul and Marco Rubio in 2016. Holmes, meanwhile, spearheaded McConnell’s 2014 re-election bid and has long been seen as one of McConnell’s top confidants.
By bringing in seasoned hands, the as-yet unnamed super PAC hopes to soothe the concerns of top Republican Party donors, many of whom have expressed a reluctance get behind Trump’s candidacy.
