Wynn works to help Democrats in House

In a political about-face, Mirage Resorts Chairman Steve Wynn is abandoning Republicans and working to help Democrats regain control of the House in 2000.

Wynn, after cultivating ties with House Republicans the past five years, now wants to see Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri, a gaming industry friend, become the new speaker, sources close to the casino mogul said.

"I think he probably believes that Gephardt is going to represent the interests of our employees and their families much more than the Republicans," one source said.

Gephardt and Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., who stands to become Ways and Means Committee chairman if the Democrats take back the House, recently flew to Las Vegas to accept a $250,000 check from Wynn for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the organization that helps Democrats get elected to the House.

Campaign committee spokesman John Del Cecato said Thursday Wynn's financial backing is being welcomed by Washington Democrats.

"We're very happy to have his support," Del Cecato said from Washington. "People understand how close we are to winning back the majority."

Del Cecato said Democrats need to win six seats to regain control of the House it lost in 1994.

Jill Schroeder, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, would not comment on Wynn's contribution to the Democrats.

Wynn often is considered a barometer of how the casino industry is leaning politically.

In 1994, he was at the forefront of those who jumped on the Republican Party bandwagon to help the GOP capture both the House and Senate.

Wynn organized a high-powered meeting of casino executives at his exclusive Shadow Creek golf club in late 1993 to entice his colleagues into contributing to the Republican Party. Wynn and several others ended up contributing $250,000 a piece to the party.

Since then, the Mirage boss has hosted numerous fund-raisers for House and Senate Republicans, even once inviting former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia to dine with him at his posh home at Shadow Creek.

But many within the casino industry now blame the Republican-controlled Congress for the industry's troubles on Capitol Hill. The move to create the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, for example, began in the House with Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., an ardent casino foe.

Wynn, sources said, believes House Republicans have drifted too far to the right, catering to the political interests of the likes of James Dobson, an influential member of the religious right, which is spearheading a moral crusade against gambling. Dobson is a member of the Impact Study Commission, which has been examining the spread of gambling on American society.

Industry observers expect gaming's troubles to escalate in Washington after the federal commission delivers its report to Congress and the president next month.

Wynn, meanwhile, reportedly has not soured on Senate Republicans, who aren't likely to lose the leadership reins in 2000. Republicans hold a 55-45 majority over the Democrats there.

In the past two years, Wynn has contributed heavily to the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. In November 1997, he flew Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi and Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the chairman of the Republican campaign committee, to Las Vegas on a Mirage Resorts jet for a GOP fund-raiser.

But Wynn also has held several fund-raisers for Gephardt, who has strong ties to labor and the Culinary Union, which represents some 45,000 casino workers, including Wynn's employees.

Gephardt, who gave up a bid for president to lead the fight to retake the House, was instrumental in getting international Culinary Union President John Wilhelm appointed to the Gambling Impact Study Commission. And Wilhelm, who is close to Wynn, has vowed to return the favor by devoting his union's political resources to furthering Gephardt's cause.

"Everybody in the labor movement is very dedicated to the hope that Gephardt will become the speaker," Wilhelm said. "He's an extraordinary person who has the ability to relate to both working people and the business community."

Wilhelm said his union, one of the most politically active in the country, also expects to work hard for Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., who is likely to benefit from Wynn's contribution to the DCCC.

Wynn did not back Berkley in her campaign last year. But Berkley, calling him a "very smart man," was quick to heap praise on the Mirage chairman for backing House Democrats in 2000.

"His contribution speaks volumes as to how he has come to appreciate the differences between the two parties," Berkley said. "The gambling industry has been burned so badly by the conservative Republican anti-gaming attitude in Congress that it makes a lot of sense to support the Democrats."

Berkley described Gephardt and Rangel as true friends of the casino industry.

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