You may not have heard about the special election state senate seat that is up for grabs in North Texas, but the casino lobby has, and is putting -a lot- of money behind it.
The Texas Sands PAC, the political arm of Las Vegas Sands, has made a $500,000 contribution to former Southlake Mayor John Huffman.
"Texas Sands, which is the group trying to bring expanded casino gambling to Texas has already dropped half a million dollars directly into the race, with even more expected in the coming weeks" said Brandon Waltens, senior editor at Texas Scorecard, "Texas Sands currently has $9 million dollars plus, so while this is just one race it could be an indication of what's to come in the coming months across the state."
As Waltens noted in his report, the casino lobby has actually -lost- ground in the legislature over the last couple of years, so now they are committed to playing the long game, one seat and race at a time.
"I think this is foreshadowing for what we can expect to see in the upcoming primary races across the state" Waltens told KTRH, "Texas Sands PAC has over $9 million, they're ready to drop it in a number of these races. They're going to be a big money player in these races."
The North Texas election is set for November 4, with conservative John Huffman facing off against conservative activist Leigh Wambsganss, who is opposed to expanded gambling in Texas.
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