Sands Casino Bets on Texas Senate Race in Legalization Push

What started as a routine contest to replace a retiring state senator for part of Tarrant County has erupted into one of Texas’ most expensive and divisive races this year, and it comes down to the battle for legal gambling in the state.

Senate District 9, which voters will decide Tuesday, has become a proxy war between Sands Casino’s eagerness to legalize gambling and conservative power brokers determined to stop them, KXAS reported.

The northern Tarrant County district — mapped to favor Republicans — has turned into a high-dollar brawl between conservative activist Leigh Wambsganss and former Southlake Mayor John Huffman, who diverge on a major issue: whether Texans should vote on casino expansion.

Wambsganss — a Patriot Mobile executive with backing from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and President Donald Trump — argues that gambling giants are trying to “buy Texas politics.” Her campaign has labeled Huffman a “wholly owned subsidiary” of the Las Vegas Sands, whose billionaire Adelson family, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has poured more than $1.2 million directly into his campaign and paid for another $2 million in ads.

Huffman, a real estate developer endorsed by Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and State Rep. Charlie Geren, calls it a matter of voter choice.

“Texans can decide for themselves whether they want destination resorts,” he said, noting that the Adelsons are longtime donors to top Republican leaders, including Trump and Cruz.

He fired back at Wambsganss over her husband’s past involvement in charitable gaming, calling her attacks hypocritical.

The mudslinging has turned personal. A doctored image depicting Wambsganss with a satanic symbol circulated late in the race, prompting her to call it “demonic.” Patrick defended her and blamed Huffman, whose campaign denied involvement.

Behind the theatrics lies a larger fight looming over Austin next session. Casino operators, led by Sands, plan to push for a constitutional amendment allowing resort-style casinos — a move that requires two-thirds support in both chambers and voter approval statewide.

Patrick, who controls the Senate agenda, has said it lacks the votes.

A third candidate, Democrat Taylor Rehmet, a machinist and former union leader, hopes to capitalize on the GOP infighting. He supports casino expansion if it brings “good union-paying jobs” and pledges to focus on workers’ rights and higher wages.

Early voting has ended, and with millions already spent, the outcome could determine not only who represents Tarrant County but also whether Texas ever rolls the dice on casinos.

— Eric Weilbacher