(JTA) — Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson has denied involvement in the decision to hold a special Republican caucus in a Nevada county to accommodate Sabbath-observant Jewish voters.
Clark County last week moved its Feb. 4 caucus to 7 p.m., six hours after the state’s totals are scheduled to be reported. Among the county’s voters is Adelson, who with his wife recently donated $10 million to a super PAC formed to help GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich.
“In short, they had no involvement,” Adelson spokesman Ron Reese said of Sheldon and Miriam Adelson in a note to reporters Monday evening.
"For the record, Mr. and Dr. Adelson are not Orthodox, thus they could participate in the caucus regardless of time or location,” the spokesman added.
The special caucus was added after a member of the Orthodox community complained that he would not be able to participate in the caucus since it conflicted with Shabbat, CNN reported.
The caucus will be held at the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Educational Campus, an Adelson-funded private school in Las Vegas.
More than half the state’s Republican voters live in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas.
Some 500 Republican voters are expected to attend the additional caucus. An absentee balloting system is in place for Nevada caucuses, according to Politico.
