'When casinos are giving money to one of those groups right before an election that the casino has a vested interest in - like the governor's race - and then the DGA or RGA spends the money in that race,' says Paul Seamus Ryan, an executive at the campaign finance watchdog Common Cause. And like its Democratic counterpart, the RGA also spent millions on the race, which became the most expensive gubernatorial contest in Louisiana history.Ĭritics say these casino donations to outside groups spending heavily in Louisiana appear to cirvcumvent a state law aimed at keeping gambling money out of politics. The 2019 tax records for the Republican Governors Association also show more than $200,000 in donations from Nevada casino companies around the time of the Louisiana election. During that same time period, the DGA pumped millions of dollars into the Louisiana race through a pro-Edwards group called Gumbo Pac, which plastered the airwaves with ads bashing GOP opponent Eddie Rispone.
