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California Candidates Audition for Tribal Donations

CALIFORNIA – As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle: "Gov. Gray Davis and two of the candidates trying to replace him -- Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock -- are expected to go before the state's powerful Indian gaming leaders today, hoping to walk away with hefty campaign contributions.

"The separate auditions, at the Hyatt Hotel in Sacramento, underscore how the gaming tribes have fast become one of the most powerful political forces in the state, operating 54 casinos and generating $5 billion a year.

"But it's that influence -- and the increasing visibility of the tribes themselves, with gaudy casinos being proposed nearer and nearer to urban centers -- that has made their campaign cash susceptible to being labeled `special interest' money.

"That helps to explain why one invitee -- Republican hopeful Arnold Schwarzenegger -- has made other plans.

"…The early impression has been that Bustamante, long a friend of the gaming tribes, was the front-runner in the race for casino dollars. But that may no longer be the case.

"`The Indian tribes are being very smart,' said state Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres, who has been in contact with the Indian officials. `They're playing the field.'

"…Indeed, the 57 gaming tribes that make up the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, which invited the gubernatorial candidates to make their pitch today, historically have spread their money and influence among Democrats and Republicans alike…"

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