Jason Taylor, publisher of Nevada’s biggest newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, has assured his staff that the paper’s new owner, billionaire Republican donor Sheldon Adelson, will not have any say in the paper’s presidential endorsements.
According to a series of Twitter messages posted online Monday by Review-Journal reporter Jennifer Robison, Taylor told staff in a meeting that neither Adelson nor his family will affect the endorsement, which the paper has said is expected to come before Nevada’s Republican caucus on Feb. 23.
“Will Adelson family have say in endorsements? Publisher Jason Taylor said no. It will be up to the paper,” Robison said on Twitter.
Will Adelson family have say in endorsements? Publisher Jason Taylor said no. It will be up to the paper.
— Jennifer Robison (@_JRobison) January 11, 2016
Adelson, who became owner of the Review-Journal in December, is reportedly a fan of GOP candidate Marco Rubio, though he has not publicly backed him.
The billionaire casino magnate is a mega GOP donor and is widely influential in Republican politics. Several of the GOP candidates have reportedly met with Adelson in pursuit of his financial support.
Robison said in another tweet, however, that the Adelson family, which has opposed efforts to legalize marijuana use in Nevada, has asked the paper’s editorial board to “reconsider” its “pro-pot stance.”
The Review-Journal editorial board has backed marijuana legalization efforts in the past.
