New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) will be in Las Vegas Thursday to attend a private fundraiser hosted by Sheldon Adelson, the CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp. and a major Republican donor.
The event is technically for Christies’s 2013 gubernatorial reelection campaign, but Nevada is an early primary state and the event could be just as much about his 2016 presidential ambitions, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
“Why is the New Jersey governor coming here in the middle of the summer if he’s not running for president, and particularly hosted by an individual who has actively been involved in fundraising for Republicans?” Eric Herzik, a UNR professor of political science, told the Sun. “He’s giving every indication that even though he’s running for re-election as governor, he could be tempted to run for president. It wouldn’t surprise me if this is a get-to-know-you session on behalf of both sides (Christie and Adelson).”