Special caucus delays release of Nevada results

As results from the Nevada Republican presidential caucuses trickle in, tallies from one county – a big one – are notably tardy.

Clark County, home to the state’s main population center of Las Vegas, is holding a special post-sundown caucus to accommodate orthodox Jews and Seventh-day Adventists, which has delayed the release of results from the county until after 7 p.m. local time.

In the meantime, results are out from the other 16 counties. They’re being posted to a Google map and the Nevada GOP’s twitter feed (@nvgop).

The special caucus is being held at the Adelson Educational Campus, a Jewish school in Las Vegas named after billionaire casino titan Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam. The Adelsons are vocal pro-Israel activists and have been in the news recently for their $10 million contribution to a “super PAC” backing Newt Gingrich.

When the Clark County GOP decided to hold the special caucus at the school, the decision caused speculation that Adelson had used his political influence to win a special caucus.

Not so, said Adelson spokesman Ron Reese, who emailed a memo debunking the theory earlier this week.

“In short, they had no involvement,” Reese said of the Adelsons, who he noted are not orthodox Jews. “Thus they could participate in the caucus regardless of time or location.”

Reese said a board member at the Adelson Educational Campus raised the issue, but that “at no point did [the Adelsons] provide any input into the process or intervene in any way.”

kim.geiger@latimes.com