Casino Crowd Finds Elections Not for Sale

Yesterday Joe Gerth of the Louisville Courier-Journal reported something we already knew about the casino lobby: they're willing to spend money on elections. Of specific interest, however, is just how much they're willing to pour into a campaign. In the special election to fill former State Sen. Dan Kelly's seat, Democratic candidate Jodie Haydon outspent his opponent by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. In fact, he spent $890,000 to Higdon's $328,000. The spending set a record for a Kentucky Senate race. Nonetheless, Higdon, the underdog, went on to win the race, thus dampening the Governor's prospects of passing a pro-casino bill this session. Higdon's election was also a repudiation by Kentucky voters that Senate seats are for sale and automatically go to the highest bidder.




http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100112/NEWS01/1120326/Democrats+spent+nearly+$900+000+on+special+election