Texas A&M University System, a supposedly conservative institution, has a gambling lobbyist on the board of their political action committee.
Rachel Horton, a member of the State Republican Executive Committee, posted to X about Texas A&M’s political action committee. It showed that Karen Johnson Rove, the wife of political consultant Karl Rove, is on the board of that PAC.
A deeper dive into Karen Rove found that she counts herself among the hordes of lobbyists pushing to expand gambling in Texas.
During the 2023 legislative session, the gambling lobby rushed the legislature to expand gambling in Texas. While the predatory industry’s bid failed, they aren’t giving up.
One of the key players in expanding gambling in Texas is the Las Vegas Sands Corp. They are behind the Texas Destination Resort Alliance, a special interest front group created to back its unsuccessful bid to legalize casinos during the 2023 legislative session. In addition to the legislative push, Sands executives acquired a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks NBA team in 2023 to establish a foothold in the state.
Records from the Texas Ethics Commission showed a link between Karen Rove and Sands.
Sands is one of Rove’s top five clients that she lobbies for, according to data acquired from Transparency USA for the 2024 election season. She’s paid a minimum of more than $208,000 to more than $417,000.
Texas Scorecard reached out to the A&M PAC for confirmation of these connections between Rove and Sands. They did not respond before publication.
This connection didn’t surprise Horton. “I’m not at all shocked to find that [the Roves’] time and attention is also connected to the casino industry’s predatory attempt to garner a foothold in Texas,” she stated.
Transparency USA also showed that Karen Rove is a taxpayer-funded lobbyist for multiple Texas local governments, including the cities of McAllen, Alamo Heights, and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority.
TAMUS’ association with Rove is problematic. Gambling has been widely criticized, not only for ethics but also for economics. While casino owners never fail to see revenues materialize, promised money for the state can’t keep pace with the costs. According to Baylor economist Earl Grinols’ research, three dollars are spent for every dollar of revenue casino gambling generates. Such proximity to a predatory activity violates one of TAMUS Principles of Ethical Conduct: “integrity of the highest caliber.”
Texas A&M has marketed itself as a unique university and a bastion for conservative values. However, it has allowed Rove onto the board of its political action committee, when she works to expand gambling in Texas.
Rove’s proximity to TAMU’s PAC is also problematic because the university has been influential in state politics. In 2011, Texas Tribune journalist Jay Root reported on how former Gov. Rick Perry’s political career began. In 1984, Clyde Wells, then chairman of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, asked around about who should replace an outgoing state representative. Then-Democrat Perry became that replacement.
Fast forward to 2024, Rick Perry, a lobbyist for gambling interests, was named a senior advisor to embattled House Speaker Dade Phelan. Just one year before that, Karl Rove worked with Texans for Lawsuit Reform to smuggle an editorial with Rick Perry’s name attached to The Wall Street Journal. The editorial was part of the political push to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The A&M PAC’s top political donations for the 2022 electoral season include Speaker of the Texas House Dade Phelan and State Rep. Andrew Murr—key leaders of the impeachment.
Desperation appears to be spiking after Rove and TLR’s gambit against Paxton ultimately failed with Paxton’s acquittal. One rallying cry coming out of that process came from Paxton’s defense attorney Tony Buzbee: “The Bush era in Texas ends today.”
The Texas A&M University System was asked for comment. No response was received before publication.
Texas Scorecard will continue to examine higher education in the state. If you or anyone you know has information regarding universities, please contact our tip line: scorecardtips@protonmail.com.
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