Tycoon Sheldon Adelson looks for mainstream Republican to support

Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who along with his wife ploughed more than US$92 million into efforts to help mostly losing candidates in the 2012 elections, is undertaking a new strategy for 2016: to tap his fortune on behalf of a more mainstream Republican with a clear shot to win the White House, according to people familiar with his thinking.

In 2012, Sheldon and Miriam Adelson spent so much of their money on long-shot candidate Newt Gingrich that they helped extend an ugly intraparty fight that left the eventual nominee, Mitt Romney, severely bruised by the time he faced President Barack Obama in the general election.

This time, the Adelsons are plotting their investments based not on personal loyalty, but on a much more strategic aim: to help select a Republican nominee they believe will have broad appeal to an increasingly diverse national electorate.

The change in attitude comes amid early jockeying by a lengthy list of aspiring Republican presidential contenders to win the affections of the billionaire, who is in the beginning stages of assessing the field.

"The bar for support is going to be much higher," said Andy Abboud, Adelson's top political adviser and an executive at the Adelson-run Las Vegas Sands. He added, "There's going to be a lot more scrutiny."

This strategy would favour more established 2016 hopefuls such as former Florida governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey governor Chris Christie, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker and Ohio governor John Kasich. All four will descend this week on Adelson's luxury hotel in Las Vegas, the Venetian, for an important step in what some are calling the "Sheldon Primary".