After mainly remaining on the sidelines ahead of the primary, casino companies seeking to turn Texas into a piggy bank are spending big to back the current House Speaker and his allies.
Chief among these out-of-state interlopers is Las Vegas Sands, giving through its “Texas” Sands PAC. The largest beneficiary of Sands’ money in the latest filing period is embattled House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont).
The casino outfit gave $200,000 to the Speaker, his second-largest donation in the latest filing period. Another gambling behemoth, Penn Entertainment Inc., gave Phelan $20,000. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma donated $10,000.
Gambling special interests have long targeted Texas but have been rebuffed for decades following failed promises of the Texas Lottery. During the 2023 legislative session, the Texas House advanced gambling measures that the Texas Senate ignored.
In this latest period, Sands gave $1.8 million to Texas politicians. This money went exclusively to members of the Texas House, with Republicans taking $1.34 million and Democrats $457,500. This is potentially a preview of a deluge of money that big gambling may spend in the lead-up to the 2025 legislative session.
State Rep. John Kuempel (R-Seguin), a key proponent of growing the gambling footprint in Texas, received the second-highest total from Sands at $110,000. Like Phelan, Keumpel finds himself up against a field of challengers, including Alan Schoolcraft who enjoys the endorsement of Gov. Greg Abbott and heavy financial backing.
It’s typical for lobbies advancing controversial policies to hold back donations to shield candidates from attacks leading up to elections. Disclosure of Sands giving comes halfway through early voting and a week before election day.
A week out from the primary election, President Donald Trump called anyone supporting the candidacy of Phelan “foolish” in a Truth Social post.
Early voting is ongoing and ends March 1. Election day is March 5.
A complete list of Sands’ donations is included below.
| First | Last | Challenged | Amount | Party | Chamber | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dade | Phelan (I) | Y | $200,000.00 | R | House | 21 |
| John | Kuempel (I) | Y | $110,000.00 | R | House | 44 |
| Lacey | Hull (I) | Y | $79,000.00 | R | House | 138 |
| Richard | Hayes (I) | N | $79,000.00 | R | House | 57 |
| Hugh | Shine (I) | Y | $79,000.00 | R | House | 55 |
| Stephen | Allison (I) | Y | $79,000.00 | R | House | 121 |
| Harold | Dutton (I) | Y | $79,000.00 | D | House | 142 |
| Justin | Holland (I) | Y | $79,000.00 | R | House | 33 |
| Charles | Geren (I) | Y | $60,000.00 | R | House | 99 |
| Ronald | Reynolds (I) | Y | $55,000.00 | D | House | 27 |
| James | Talarico (I) | Y | $54,500.00 | D | House | 50 |
| Elizabeth | Campos (I) | Y | $54,000.00 | D | House | 119 |
| Stan | Kitzman (I) | Y | $54,000.00 | R | House | 85 |
| Raynaldo T. | Lopez (I) | Y | $54,000.00 | D | House | 125 |
| Venton C. | Jones (I) | Y | $54,000.00 | D | House | 100 |
| Alma A. | Allen (I) | Y | $54,000.00 | D | House | 131 |
| Erin A. | Zwiener (I) | Y | $54,000.00 | D | House | 45 |
| Travis P. | Clardy (I) | Y | $54,000.00 | R | House | 11 |
| Ernest J. | Bailes (I) | Y | $54,000.00 | R | House | 18 |
| Frederick E. | Frazier (I) | Y | $54,000.00 | R | House | 61 |
| Jacey R. | Jetton (I) | Y | $54,000.00 | R | House | 26 |
| Shawn Nicole | Thierry (I) | Y | $50,000.00 | D | House | 146 |
| Kenneth P. | King (I) | Y | $30,500.00 | R | House | 88 |
| Jay | Dean (I) | Y | $29,500.00 | R | House | 7 |
| Angie C. | Button (I) | Y | $29,000.00 | R | House | 112 |
| Morgan D. | Meyer (I) | Y | $29,000.00 | R | House | 108 |
| Cody J. | Harris (I) | Y | $29,000.00 | R | House | 8 |
| Benjamin C | Bumgarner (I) | Y | $29,000.00 | R | House | 63 |
| Standard D. | Lambert (I) | Y | $29,000.00 | R | House | 71 |
| Drew | Darby (I) | Y | $29,000.00 | R | House | 72 |
| Jeff C. | Leach (I) | Y | $15,000.00 | R | House | 67 |
| Dustin R. | Burrows (I) | Y | $5,500.00 | R | House | 83 |
| Jarvis | Johnson (I) | Y | $4,000.00 | D | House | 139 |
