Adelson-owned Vegas newspaper endorses Rubio

by Jesse Byrnes - 02/05/16 4:19 PM ET

An influential Nevada newspaper owned by GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson is throwing its support behind Marco Rubio in the Republican presidential race, noting his “deep personal connections to the state.”

The Las Vegas Review-Journal, the largest newspaper in Nevada, praised Rubio for his electability and “limited-government conservative” views.

{mosads}Rubio lived in the area from age 8 to 14 while his parents worked in the hotel industry, contributing to the 44-year-old lawmaker’s “compelling story” of “his family’s pursuit of better opportunities and a better life,” the editors wrote in their endorsement published Friday.

The Review-Journal praised Rubio for agreeing “that the federal government owns too much land in Nevada’s borders,” said he “backs a reasonable approach to fix” the immigration system and “recognizes that entitlement reform is a must if Medicare and Social Security are to avoid insolvency.”

The newspaper noted that it met with Rubio on Oct. 9, two months before news emerged that Adelson, a casino magnate, had bought the publication.

“The Adelsons have detached themselves from our endorsement process, and our endorsement of Sen. Rubio does not represent the support of the family,” the newspaper wrote in the editorial.

The newspaper also met with GOP presidential candidates Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina when considering whom to endorse.

Donald Trump, who is leading most polls for the Republican presidential nomination, “could not work an interview into his schedule” despite “many attempts,” according to the newspaper.

Rubio is battling for support behind Trump in New Hampshire, which holds its primary Tuesday, after taking a close third in Iowa this week.

Nevada’s Republican caucuses are held Feb. 23, a week after the South Carolina primary.

Tags 2016 GOP primary Marco Rubio Nevada Nevada caucus Sheldon Adelson