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Poll: Michigan Proposal Losing Support

LANSING, Michigan – (PRESS RELEASE) -- A new statewide poll commissioned by The Detroit News shows Proposal 1 support plummeting. The poll of likely voters -- conducted Oct. 18 & 19 -- highlights a staggering 17-point deterioration of support for the proposal.

"The more people learn about this attempt to hijack the state's constitution for gambling purposes, the more they decide to vote 'No,'" said Kelly Rossman-McKinney, spokeswoman for No Casino Monopoly - Vote No on Proposal 1 -- the coalition of educators, unions and civic leaders opposing the proposal.

"Governor Jennifer Granholm, Speaker Rick Johnson, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, the Teamsters, the Michigan Education Association -- everybody knows Proposal 1 is bad for Michigan," Rossman- McKinney said.

Just a few months ago, with little opposition at the time, Proposal 1 appeared to be headed for victory, fueled almost entirely from millions poured into a massive advertising campaign by Indian and Detroit's Las Vegas-owned casinos. According to the Secretary of State's office, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe and the MGM Grand Casino bankrolled the initial ad blitz. To date, casinos have contributed close to $8 million to get the proposal passed. The Saginaw News recently reported that supporters were willing to spend almost twice that -- close to $14 million in all -- before Election Day.

But, since its initial success, Rossman-McKinney said Proposal 1 has sputtered after a broad coalition of bipartisan elected officials, education groups, the agriculture industry and others organized an effective grassroots voter education campaign to make everyone aware of the true intentions of this proposal and the danger it poses to Michigan residents, jobs and schools.

"You rarely see Republicans and Democrats come together to oppose something as forcefully as they have on this issue," she said. "The poll shows the bottom falling out for support of Proposal 1 and we expect the meltdown to continue as voters learn what is at stake."

NO CasiNO MoNOpoly - Vote NO on Proposal 1 is a broad coalition of organizations and individuals -- representing business, agriculture, education, organized labor and elected officials -- strongly opposed to Proposal 1 and the constitutionally protected gambling monopoly it would grant to Indian and Las Vegas casino operators. For more information, visit http://www.NoOnProp1.com .

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