RENO, NV- Nevada Republican political consultant Robert Uithoven, who led Adam Laxalt’s successful campaign for attorney general in 2014, has been named the Nevada state director for the Ted Cruz for President Campaign.

Uithoven, with a long history in Nevada GOP politics, was also the campaign manager for Sue Lowden’s unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate in 2010. He ran Jim Gibbons’ successful campaign for governor in 2006 and was Gibbons’ chief of staff when Gibbons was Nevada’s 2nd U.S. House District representative before that.

Uithoven has also lobbied at the Nevada Legislature on behalf of the Las Vegas Sands Corp.

So one wonders: Will Cruz become the favorite candidate of Las Vegas Sand boss Sheldon Adelson?

Adelson is considered one of the biggest-ever GOP mega-donors and is the richest man in Nevada.

Cruz sat with Adelson late last year at the Zionist Organization of America dinner in New York, according to the New York Observer. The two also reportedly had a long, private talk in a ritzy New York hotel after the Zionist dinner.

Adelson and wife, Miriam, gave $92.7 million to conservative candidates through “outside spending” super PACs in 2012, according to OpenSecrets.org. If Cruz can break off a chuck of that, he’d be sitting pretty in the presidential battleground state of Nevada.

Adelson and his wife reportedly gave Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign more than $15 million in 2012 and helped him stay in the race longer than expected.

UITHOVEN TOLD ME that I would be rushing to conclusions to think Adelson will eventually back Cruz just because Cruz has hired someone who has lobbied for Aldeson to run his Nevada campaign.

“I assure you that they are unrelated,” Uithoven said about his work for Adelson and Cruz.

“Sen. Cruz does have a good relationship with Mr. Adelson,” Uithoven said. “But Mr. Adelson has a good relationship with a lot of the candidates and he has said publicly that he doesn’t have a favorite in this race at this point. He wants to wait until there are a few (Republican presidential candidates) debates before he makes a decision.”

Uithoven also noted that Adelson has a strong relationship with GOP presidential candidate Marco Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida who spent much of his childhood living in Las Vegas. Rubio is also the cousin of Nevada state Sen. Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas.

“He (Adelson) has also met with Jeb Bush and a number of other candidates,” Uithoven said. “(Wisconsin Gov.) Scott Walker has also been a featured speaker at the Venetian (Las Vegas mega-resort owned by Adelson) at different events in the past year.”

CRUZ IS EXPECTED to attend the “Morning in Nevada PAC” Basque Fry in Gardnerville on Aug. 15. This event is gearing up to the “Burning Man” of GOP presidential politics in the Silver State.

GOP presidential candidates who have confirmed their attendance at the Basque Fry include Cruz, Walker, Dr. Ben Carson, businesswoman Carly Fiorina and former New York Gov. George Pataki.

Invited candidates include Rubio, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and bombastic business mogul Donald Trump.

Only Bush and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., have declined invitations because of prior commitments.

The Basque Fry is being put on by AG Laxalt, the grandson of former U.S. Sen. and Nevada Gov. Paul Laxalt.

Young AG Laxalt has said on Nevada Newsmakers TV program that he is not running for the U.S. Senate or any other office in 2016. But this Basque Fry certainly will help his standing in the national GOP, so we’ll have to see. Maybe all of these presidential candidates will talk him into running in 2016.

NEVADA ASSEMBLY SPEAKER John Hambrick, R-Las Vegas, said Thursday that his personal email account was temporarily hacked and the hackers fired off an email claiming that he was stranded in Ukraine and needed financial help to get home.

Hambrick told The Associated Press about a dozen people called to check on him, but didn’t believe anyone had accidentally wired money to the hacker.

A similar hack job was done to Assemblyman Pat Hickey, R-Reno, in 2011. Then, hackers sent out a message on Hickey’s email account that he was “mugged in London” and needed money to return home.

“As far as I know, none of you took the occasion to help pad the bank accounts of the digital pirates posing as yours truly,” Hickey wrote in his legislative newsletter after the hacking.

He later added: “Honestly, there was a moment when I felt like either crying or laughing. I chose to laugh. I do however, hope and pray I never run into some distant cousin who sent $1,750 via Western Union to England.”

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