Casino Debate Dominates Texas Senate Special Election Funding
The question of legalizing casinos has become the central issue driving campaign activity and funding in the Texas Senate District 9 (SD 9) special election in Tarrant County. This relatively small race is now functioning as a proxy battle for the future of gambling expansion across Texas.
Massive Spending Over Gaming Interests
The SD 9 election has seen over $3 million in expenditures, with the vast majority supporting or opposing two Republican candidates. This massive influx of capital is directly traceable to the conflict over gaming. The outcome is viewed as crucial because the Texas Senate is divided on casino expansion, and the state maintains some of the nation’s strictest gambling laws.
The pro-casino lobby hopes to shift the balance of power in the Senate to expedite a constitutional amendment legalizing casinos. The anti-gambling opposition aims to strengthen its resistance to any expansion.
Candidates Reflect the Core Conflict
The debate over gambling defines the support for the two leading Republican candidates/
Huffman, the former Southlake mayor, has received substantial financial backing. His support, exceeding $3 million, comes primarily from corporate donors and Political Action Committees (PACs) connected to Las Vegas Sands Corporation. Las Vegas Sands, owned by major Republican donor Miriam Adelson, is aggressively seeking to legalize gambling in Texas. They aim to construct at least one large casino resort in the state, which is considered the largest untapped gambling market in the U.S. Huffman supports allowing Texas voters to decide on casino legalization.
Wambsganss, the former head of the Patriot Mobile PAC, is campaigning on a firm anti-casino platform. She opposes any expansion of gambling in Texas. Wambsganss is supported by conservative advocacy groups and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who is the Senate’s chief opponent of gambling expansion. Wambsganss argues that wealthy casino entities are attempting to manipulate state politics through overwhelming spending and misinformation.
A victory for Huffman would bolster the legalization effort and signal a shift in Republican attitudes influenced by large campaign funding. Conversely, a Wambsganss win would reinforce the conservative opposition led by Lieutenant Governor Patrick.
Negative Campaigns and Accusations
Both sides have engaged in intense negative campaigning, using the gambling issue to attack their opponents’ credibility.
The Wambsganss campaign has accused Huffman of allowing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies during his tenure as Southlake mayor. In turn, the Huffman camp has attacked Wambsganss’s anti-gambling stance by highlighting that her husband previously owned and sold a company that produced electric pull-tab gaming machines in Virginia. These attacks underscore how deeply the casino debate has polarized and intensified the contest.
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