WASHINGTON (JTA) — Mitt Romney met with Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino magnate who took aim at Romney’s presidential campaign by substantially backing challenger Newt Gingrich.
Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and likely Republican presidential candidate, met for 45 minutes Tuesday with Adelson in Las Vegas, where Romney was to attend a fundraiser organized by celebrity Donald Trump.
Adelson until March had backed the candidacy of Gingrich, the former U.S. House of Representatives speaker, in part because Gingrich and Adelson had become friends in the 1990s over their hawkishness on Israel.
Millions of dollars funneled into pro-Gingrich groups by Adelson and his wife, Miriam, helped prolong Gingrich’s campaign.
Adelson subsequently said he would back whomever won the GOP primaries.
Romney clinched the nomination Tuesday with his victory in the Texas primary.
