Money Plays: Perry Takes More Gambling Money than Most

Our non-friends at Texans Against Gambling told their influential members that they needed to combat big-time casino lobbying dollars supposedly pushing HB 222. However, they don\’t tell you who received a lot of those gambling-interest dollars, nor that a some of them were being spent to defeat the bill.

By all means, our good poker friends in Oklahoma have contributed their fair share to keep Texans playing in their Indian nations … but frankly, it\’s a very small percentage of the $7.6 million spent on gambling-related Texas politicking in 2007-08 — and they\’re not exactly being hypocrites about any of it, save for maybe riding the coattails of those who are.

Top Recipients of Oklahoma Tribal Money

Amount 07-â€™08	Recipient (Party)	Tribe
$35,000	Lt. Governor David Dewhurst(R)	Choctaw
$25,000	Stars Over Texas PAC(R)	Choctaw
$20,000	Lt. Governor David Dewhurst(R)	Chickasaw
$15,000	TX Repub. Legislative Caucus(R)	Chickasaw
$10,000	Attorney General Greg Abbott(R)	Choctaw
$10,000	Sen. Kip Averitt(R)	Choctaw
$10,000	Sen. Kim Brimer(R)*	Choctaw
$10,000	Rep. Tom Craddick(R)	Chickasaw
$10,000	Sen. Bob Deuell(R)	Choctaw
$10,000	Sen. Kevin Eltife(R)	Choctaw
$10,000	Sen. Chris Harris(R)	Choctaw
$10,000	House Dem. Campaign Com.(D)	Chickasaw
$10,000	Sen. Jane Nelson(R)	Choctaw
$10,000	Sen. Tommy Williams(R)	Choctaw

Click below for an even more interesting look at the Texas pols who taking the most gambling-industry dollars. I wonder how his morality-minded base feels about Gov. Rick Perry coming in at #2, with nearly $800k in gambling-interest love.

Politicians Receiving the Most Gambling Money

Amount (â€™07 & â€™08)	Recipient	Party	Office Held Or Sought	Top Gambling Contributor
$851,350	David Dewhurst	R	Lt. Governor	David Alameel
$793,356	Rick Perry	R	Governor	Peter Holt
$225,000	Joan Huffman	R	S-17	Robert McNair
$157,800	Susan Combs	R	Comptroller	Peter Holt
$155,174	Greg Abbott	R	Attorney General	David Alameel
$146,935	Dan Branch	R	H-108	Harlan Crow
$80,300	Elizabeth Ames Jones	R	Railroad Com.	Peter Holt
$73,250	Kim Brimer*	R	S-10	Joe LaMantia
$71,100	Tom Craddick⁹	R	H-82	Peter Holt
$66,650	Kino Flores	D	H-36	TED PAC
$60,055	Doug Miller	R	H-73	TED PAC
$53,500	Joseph Moody	D	H-78	TED PAC
$53,018	Chris Harris	R	S-9	Johnson & Johnson
$52,075	Michael Williams	R	Railroad Com.	David Alameel
$48,500	Charlie Geren	R	H-99	TED PAC
$47,650	Judith Zaffirini	D	S-21	Johnson & Johnson/TED PAC
$45,500	John Carona	R	S-16	Jack Pratt
$45,250	Kip Averitt	R	S-22	Choctaw/Johnson & Johnson/TED
$44,000	John Whitmire	D	S-15	TED PAC
$43,000	Kirk Watson	D	S-14	TED PAC
$42,750	Juan Hinojosa	D	S-20	TED PAC
$42,611	Carlos Uresti	D	S-19	Kickapoo/TED PAC
$42,000	Juan Escobar*	D	H-43	TED PAC
$40,000	Jon Cole*	R	H-67	David Alameel/TED PAC
$40,000	Pete Gallego	D	H-74	Joe LaMantia/TED PAC
$38,750	Jim Dunnam	D	H-57	Gerald Ford/Joe LaMantia/TED
$38,150	Jeff Wentworth	R	S-25	TED PAC
$38,000	James \’Mike\’ Jackson	R	S-11	Robert McNair/TED PAC
$37,900	Trey Martinez Fischer	D	H-116	Joe LaMantia/TED PAC
$37,200	Aaron Pena	D	H-40	TED PAC
$35,101	Joe Straus III	R	H-121	George Hixon
$34,500	Rodney Ellis	D	S-13	Jack Pratt/TED PAC
$33,851	Dawnna Dukes	D	H-46	TED PAC
$33,558	Bob Romano*	D	H-105	North Texas Leadership PAC
$32,000	Chris Turner	D	H-96	TED PAC
$31,615	Abel Herrero	D	H-34	TED PAC
$31,300	Wendy Davis	D	S-10	North Texas Leadership PAC
$30,185	Juan Garcia*	D	H-32	Anthony LaMantia
$29,500	Kel G. Seliger	R	S-31	Joe LaMantia
$29,075	Wallace Jefferson	R	Supreme Court	Harlan Crow/Peter Holt
$28,404	Craig Eiland	D	H-23	Gerald Ford
$28,250	Joe Jaworski*	D	S-11	Trammell Crow
$27,850	Leticia Van De Putte	D	S-26	TED PAC
$27,600	Diana Maldonado	D	H-52	TED PAC
$27,000	Kevin Bailey*	D	H-140	TED PAC
$27,000	Allen Vaught	D	H-107	TED PAC
$26,500	Rene Oliveira	D	H-37	Jack Pratt
$26,500	Kirk England	D	H-106	TED PAC
$25,500	Tommy Williams	R	S-4	Choctaw Nation