The benefits of a Vegas convention for the RNC in 2016 are obvious. Vegas is a logistical dream: There are more than 100,000 hotel rooms within a two-mile radius of either of the likely sites, the Las Vegas Convention Center or a new 20,000-seat arena expected to be built along the Strip near the New York-New York resort. The airport is among the nation’s easiest and most convenient to use — and, unlike Tampa, a hurricane is less likely on the Strip than the Jaguars making the 2014 Super Bowl. The politics end offers a lot too. Nevada is a bona fide swing state worthy of such attention. What’s more, the glamor of the Strip might actually add some pizzazz to a crowd described by RNC chairman Reince Priebus in March as a party of “stuffy old men.” And, by all accounts, the 2012 breakout mega-donor Sheldon Adelson — net worth: $28.5 billion, per Forbes — is eager to spend seven figures to defray costs typically incurred by local taxpayers.
Las Vegas Never Wanted To Host A Republican Convention — Until Now
