Red, White… and $70? The GOP Debate That Might Have Fewer People Than a Slot Machine Bank

Red Move doesn’t even know the price of their Great Debate dinner at the Atlantis. Wonder how much money they make off this event?

If there’s one thing the local Republicans seem to struggle with lately, it’s getting their act together.

Case in point: the annual debate series hosted by Red Move at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa.

This event is supposed to be a showcase — a place where Republican candidates present their ideas, meet voters, and build momentum heading into the election season.

Instead, it increasingly feels like a fundraising dinner for Red Move that accidentally scheduled a debate.

This year’s promotional material appears to suggest attendees will need to shell out somewhere in the neighborhood of $60 or $70 to attend. The only problem? Depending on who you ask, the actual price seems to be a mystery.

When the head of the event doesn’t seem quite sure how much the dinner costs, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that the rest of the evening will be a model of organization.

And before anyone says we’re being unfair — we’ve actually attended this event before.

The 2024 version was… memorable.

Not because of the debate.

Because of the crowd.

There were roughly seven tables of ten people in the entire room.

Seventy attendees.

For a regional political debate.

To put that into perspective, you could probably meet more voters by wandering onto the casino floor and striking up conversations with people playing penny slots.

At least there you’d get free drinks.

That’s why many self-respecting Republicans we know are planning to skip the event altogether this year. Not because they don’t care about the candidates, but because paying $60–$70 to sit through an under-attended dinner debate feels less like civic engagement and more like a very expensive plate of chicken.

And let’s be honest: the whole point of a debate event is supposed to be connecting candidates with voters.

But when the audience barely fills a few banquet tables, the only people really getting face time with the candidates are the other candidates.

Which raises an uncomfortable question for the organizers:

If the goal is to help Republicans win elections, is a pricey dinner debate with the attendance of a small wedding reception really the best strategy?

Because if the attendance numbers look anything like 2024, the busiest political conversations at the Atlantis that night might not be in the ballroom.

They’ll be happening next door…
between strangers at the blackjack table.