National Harbor Developers Paid $271,515 to Defeat Marriage Equality & Dream Act / PAYBACK: VOTE AGAINST QUESTION 7

TIT FOR TAT: GAMBLING SUPPORTERS ARE URGING 
VOTES AGAINST MARRIAGE EQUALITY & DREAM ACT

TIME TO DECLARE WAR ON GAMBLING INDUSTRY IN MARYLAND: Maryland Juice is declaring war on gambling expansion and urging all readers to "vote against" Question 7 on Tuesday, November 6. After it is defeated at the ballot box, let's also make sure the expansion bill dies in all future legislative sessions. 

I had already been planning on releasing a short voter guide about the ballot questions, and I will still do so tomorrow. But right now I am completely incensed by the latest callous shenanigans from those who are "for" Question 7. As far as they are concerned, nothing is more important than rolling out more casinos in Maryland -- nothing at all. Look at the latest voter guide that pro-gambling expansion forces are mailing out, including the insensitive/nativist-style image of a family running:

PETERSON DEVELOPMENT COMPANY FINANCES OPPOSITION TO MARRIAGE EQUALITY & DREAM ACT: The developers of National Harbor, Peterson Development Company, are trying to bring a casino to Prince George's County, and yesterday they spent $271,515 to create a new group to promote gambling expansion (Question 7), and defeat marriage equality (Question 6) and the Dream Act: (Question 4). They registered a new front-group called "Republican Leaders Referendum Guide" -- one of seven groups registered to campaign on Question 7 (gambling expansion):

Peterson Development Company dropped $271,515 into this voter education effort, according to last-minute financial disclosures to the Board of Elections:

Milt Peterson - National Harbor Developer

SURPRISE: NEW PRO-GAMBLING GOP VOTER GUIDE EMERGES - Just minutes ago on Twitter, I stumbled across a new "Republican Voter Guide" that features former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and former MD GOP Party Chair Audrey Scott endorsing a "vote for" gambling expansion and a "vote against" marriage equality and the Dream Act:

Red Maryland blogger Brian Griffiths confirmed that the piece carries an authority line from the new Peterson-backed GOP group:

Note that we previously published a letter to voters from Steele and Scott (yes, the two of them again) telling voters to "vote for" gambling expansion. But that letter was paid for by a group called "FOR Maryland Jobs and Schools."

PRO-QUESTION 7 FINANCIERS DON'T CARE ABOUT MARYLAND: The ballot question contests in Maryland may come down to razor-thin margins, and any spending by outside groups against Questions 4 and 6 is a threat.

After purchasing an unprecedented special legislative session in Maryland, supporters of gambling expansion are now willing to throw the Dream Act & marriage equality under the bus as collateral damage. This is yet another piece of evidence that those financing the casino expansion push aren't motivated by the concerns of ordinary Marylanders. Just look at the backers of question 7, and you'll see lots of people who are well-known for caring about Maryland. Take magician David Copperfield, for example; or boxer Oscar De La Hoya; and if that's not convincing enough, how about the Washington Redskins, who are owned by the Romney-backing man of the people, Dan Snyder.

Indeed, for pro-Question 7 financiers, working with Democrats is purely a transactional experience and just "part of the job." But apparently Democrats in Maryland did not put any conditions on their support for casino expansion, and so the industry feels it can freely spend money against referenda that some have been working very hard to advance. Ish don't think so.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM TIME: FIREWALL MARYLAND FROM SPECIAL INTERESTS: After the November elections, it is clearly time for campaign finance reform in Maryland. The special interest spending we are currently witnessing is an embarrassment in a one-party state, but especially where the one-party is the Democratic Party. Not to mention, we should not forget that we have a serious problem when a pair of companies can purchase an unprecedented special session in Maryland, and use it to advance an issue that was the priority of only a small number of very powerful politicians. It's time for a #CleanSlate.

Reject Special Interest Ownership of Maryland Politics:

VOTE AGAINST QUESTION 7

TV AD // Comptroller Peter Franchot: "I've Seen a Lot of Whoppers About Tax Policy, But Nothing Like Question 7"

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot is turning up the rhetoric a few notches in the Question 7 battle. The 2014 gubernatorial candidate has been a strong opponent of the push for gambling expansion this year, and as a result he has landed himself in a few television advertisements. His latest scorching of the "vote for" Question 7 side is featured prominently in a new television ad urging a "vote against" Question 7. Watch below:

Maryland Gambling Expansion Heading to November Ballot // ROLL CALL: House Barely Approves Table Games & PG Casino

PLUS: SEE HOUSE ROLL CALL INFO & ANOTHER GAMBLING MAILER BELOW

Local political reporters are all highlighting the results of Maryland's second special legislative session in 2012. After weeks of heated debate, the Maryland House of Delegates approved the gambling expansion plan -- with no votes to spare. Gambling proponents needed 71 votes in the House to pass gambling, and they received exactly 71 votes. The State Senate already approved the gambling expansion plan on Friday, so about an hour ago, Gov. Martin O'Malley signed the casino referendum bill. That means that gambling is heading to the November ballot alongside marriage equality, the Dream Act, and Maryland's Congressional redistricting plan.

SENATE PRESIDENT MIKE MILLER NOW CLAIMS GAMBLING "NOT THE WAY" TO FUND GOVERNMENT - Below is a quick round-up of local news coverage about the Maryland House's approval of the gambling bill. Amazingly, Senate President Mike Miller -- who is directly responsible for the casino push in Maryland -- is now saying gambling is "not the way" to fund government! See an excerpt from the Maryland Reporter special session coverage below:

MARYLAND REPORTER: By the bare minimum of 71 votes, the House of Delegates Monday night gave Senate President Mike Miller the kind of “sine die” adjournment he had expected April 9: The delegates passed a bill asking voters in November to approve table games and a sixth gambling casino in Prince George’s County....

A subdued Miller, believed by most legislators to have bullied O’Malley and Busch back into session, refused to gloat or take a victory lap after the Senate concurred in the House amendments and passed the bill 32-14....

“It’s a fad, it’s a fancy, it’s wrong, it’s not the way to fund government,” Miller told reporters. But Maryland needed to take full advantage of the gambling craze while it lasted....

KEY PROVISIONS OF GAMBLING BILL: Lastly, The Baltimore Sun had a very quick roundup of the key provisions in the newly approved casino referendum. The most important changes are the addition of a Prince George's gambling site, tax cuts for slot machine operators, and the addition of Vegas-style table games to Maryland casinos (eg: craps, blackjack, roulette, etc).

HOUSE OF DELEGATES GAMBLING ROLL CALL VOTE - The Baltimore Sun printed the roll call for the Maryland House gambling vote today. You can see the full roster at their site, but we highlight the Democratic "NO" votes below:

DEMOCRATS WHO VOTED "NO" ON HOUSE GAMBLING BILL:

1. Alston, Tiffany T. (D) Prince George's
2. Barkley, Charles E. (D) Montgomery
3. Beidle, Pamela G. (D) Anne Arundel
4. Carter, Jill P. (D) Baltimore
5. Gilchrist, James W. (D) Montgomery
6. Griffith, Melony G. (D) Prince George's
7. Hammen, Peter A. (D) Baltimore
8. Holmes, Marvin E., Jr. (D) Prince George's
9. James, Mary-Dulany (D) Harford
10. Kelly, Ariana B. (D) Montgomery
11. Lee, Susan C. (D) Montgomery
12. Miller, Aruna (D) Montgomery
13. Mizeur, Heather R. (D) Montgomery
14. Morhaim, Dan K. (D) Baltimore Co.
15. Murphy, Peter F. (D) Charles
16. Niemann, Doyle L. (D) Pr. George's
17. Pena-Melnyk, Joseline A. (D) Prince George's
18. Robinson, A. Shane (D) Montgomery
19. Simmons, Luiz R. S. (D) Montgomery
20. Sophocleus, Theodore J. (D) Anne Arundel
21. Vaughn, Michael L. (D) Prince George's
22. Wood, John F., Jr. (D) St. Mary's

DIRECT MAIL & MEDIA WAR BREWING? - Given how much money was spent by groups on the public relations battle surrounding gambling, we could see a decent amount of paid propaganda in Maryland. In the closing days of the special session fight, a reader sent us the following direct mail piece that a group called CSOA sent to Maryland voters. They added the following comments about the origin of the mailer:

ANONYMOUS READER: A little late, so I don't know if you're still interested in it but here's the gambling mailer I got Monday.  The most interesting/weirdest thing about it (to me) is that it's from a group called CSOA but it doesn't say what that stands for. If you google CSOA Maryland, a race horse owner's group comes up... I guess they're mad that gambling is coming to National Harbor but not Rosecroft. Also, it seems to be targeted towards PG residents and I live in Howard county?

CSOA Maryland Gambling Direct Mail

PS - PIT BULL LEGISLATION DIED IN SPECIAL SESSION - One other piece of legislation was dealt with in the special session. Pit bull owners were rallying to stop a Maryland Court of Appeals decision that pit bulls are inherently dangerous. The Patch's Bryan Sears noted (excerpt below):

TOWSON PATCH: ... a bill meant to overturn a controversial Court of Appeals ruling that declared pit bulls an inherently dangerous dog breed failed after Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said the House gave senators a "take it or leave it" ultimatum.

MORE ON THE MARYLAND GAMBLING REFERENDUM SOON!

ROLL CALL: Maryland House Ways & Means Committee Approves Casino Expansion // See How 2014 Candidates Voted

After the Maryland Senate approved a gambling expansion plan last week (see roll call at the bottom of this page), debate proceeded in the House of Delegates. According to an AP report on WBAL, yesterday the House Ways & Means committee approved an amended version of the bill to bring table games to Maryland and a new casino to Prince George's County. The House bill passed 13-7 and included expanded slot machine tax cuts for Anne Arundel and Baltimore casino owners upset at the potential new competition in Maryland.

Check out the AP's special session coverage at WBAL. They provided a House Ways & Means roll call, which we provide below, but we've made a note next to the names of some Delegates who are considering runs for statewide office in 2014.

MARYLAND HOUSE WAYS & MEANS GAMBLING VOTE ROLL CALL

Voting Yes
Sandy Rosenberg (D)
Kumar Barve (D) - POTENTIAL 2014 COMPTROLLER CANDIDATE
Talmadge Branch (D)
William Frick (D) - POTENTIAL 2014 ATTORNEY GENERAL CANDIDATE
 Carolyn Howard (D)
Jolene Ivey (D)
Anne Kaiser (D)
Eric Luedtke (D)
Justin Ross (D)
Melvin Stukes (D)
Michael Summers (D)
Frank Turner (D)
Jay Walker (D)

Voting No
Kathy Afzali (R)
Joe Boteler (R)
Mark Fisher (R)
Ron George (R)
Glen Glass (R)
Aruna Miller (D)
Andrew Serafini (R)

Not Voting
Jon Cardin (D) - POTENTIAL 2014 ATTORNEY GENERAL CANDIDATE
LeRoy Myers (R)
Sheila Hixson-Chairman (D)


The Maryland Senate has updated its website to include the full roll call vote on the gambling expansion bill:

FULL MARYLAND SENATE GAMBLING ROLL CALL VOTE

28 Yeas     14 Nays     2 Not Voting     0 Excused (Absent)     3 Absent

Voting Yea - 28

Mr. President

Getty

McFadden

Benson

Jennings

Middleton

Brinkley

Jones-Rodwell

Peters

Colburn

Kasemeyer

Pugh

Conway J

King

Robey

Currie

Klausmeier

Rosapepe

Edwards

Madaleno

Stone

Ferguson

Manno

Young

Forehand

Mathias

Zirkin

Garagiola

Voting Nay - 14

Brochin

Jacobs

Pipkin

DeGrange

Kittleman

Raskin

Dyson

Montgomery

Reilly

Frosh

Muse

Simonaire

Glassman

Pinsky

Not Voting - 2

Astle

Ramirez

Excused from Voting - 0

Excused (Absent) - 3

Gladden

Kelley

Shank

ROLL CALL: Maryland Senate Approves Gambling Referendum 28-14 // PLUS: Full Scan of Gay & Lesbian Anti-Gambling Mailer

JUICE #1 - SENATE APPROVES GAMBLING WITH 28-14 VOTE: Early last night, Maryland Juice received word (from Twitter) that a majority of the State Senate voted to approve a November referendum on gambling:

ROLL CALL DETAILS: The measure will head to the House of Delegates next week, where the outcome is far less certain than in the upper chamber, where Senate President Mike Miller has made gaming a legislative priority. The Washington Post's John Wagner published the roll call for how Maryland Senators voted. Though the vote was by no means a party-line battle, most of the "yes" votes came from Democrats. We highlight the "no" votes below, but check out The Washington Post article to see the full roster.

DEMOCRATIC VOTES AGAINST GAMBLING

1. Jim Brochin
2. Ed DeGrange
3. Roy Dyson
4. Brian Frosh
5. Karen Montgomery
6. Anthony Muse
7. Paul Pinsky
8. Jamie Raskin

REPUBLICAN VOTES AGAINST GAMBLING

1. Barry Glassman
2. Nancy Jacobs
3. Allan Kittleman
4. E.J. Pipkin
5. Ed Reilly
6. Bryan Simonaire

OTHER (ie: NO VOTE RECORDED)

1. John Astle
2. Lisa Gladden
3. Delores Kelley
4. Victor Ramirez
5. Chris Shank

JUICE #2 - FULL SCAN OF LGBT ANTI-GAMBLING MAILER: Meanwhile, yesterday Maryland Juice published news of a direct mail piece opposing the gambling effort, that was being mailed by the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Action Fund. We only had a partial scan of the piece to look at, but it turns out Maryland Juice received a copy of the mail piece at our new Silver Spring/Takoma Park war room. Maryland Juice also receives word that the piece was mailed as far as the Eastern Shore. We provide a full scan of the anti-gambling mail piece below, along with the following intriguing commentary from BuzzFeed, the blog that broke the story (excerpt below):

BUZZFEED: The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force structured an anti-gambling campaign in Maryland so it wouldn't have to disclose which donors are underwriting the effort.

The group established an independent expenditure committee this week, rather than a standard political action committee, to fund its mailer opposing an effort to put a measure for expanded gambling on the ballot this fall....

See a full scan of the direct mail piece below:

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force's Maryland Anti-Gambling Mailer

Maryland Marriage Equality Supporters Send Direct Mail Opposing Casino Expansion Plan // Turnout Dynamics in Flux

An anonymous reader has sent Maryland Juice news that a national LGBT rights organization is sending direct mail encouraging Free State residents to oppose a proposed gambling referendum this November. Our source points us to an article in the Towleroad blog discussing the contentious and unpredictable dynamics between the competing referenda (excerpt below):

TOWLEROAD: Two very different ballot issues, gambling and marriage equality, are finding their streams crossed in Maryland, where the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Action Fund Maryland Political Action Committee has sent a mailer to pro-equality voters asking them to vote "no" on a proposed ballot measure that would expand gambling in the Old Line State. Voters there will decide this fall whether to keep or toss a law allowing same-sex marriage....

Indeed, this November, Maryland voters could vote on up to four statewide referenda (marriage equality, Dream Act, redistricting, and gambling), along with possible local issue referenda. Legislators are meeting today to debate whether to put gambling expansion on the ballot in November. In a previous News Channel 8 appearance, Maryland Juice noted that LGBT activists were nervous about a gambling referendum driving up anti-LGBT turnout. Those worries were apparently real. The BuzzFeed website has a copy of the mail piece, along with commentary from a spokesperson at the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and from the Marylanders for Marriage Equality campaign (excerpts below):

Anti-gambling referendum mail piece. Source: BuzzFeed.

BUZZFEED: ...The Marylanders for Marriage Equality campaign took issue with the mailer, with campaign manager Josh Levin telling BuzzFeed, "Turnout in heavily Democratic Maryland will be determined by the presidential race – not any other issue, including gambling should it be on the ballot. Opponents of the gambling expansion are clearly using the marriage issue for their own political gain. What's important here, however, is that we remain focused on expanding our 14-point lead and growing the momentum for marriage in Maryland...."

The Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart reported recently that a supporter of the gambling measure, MGM Resorts International, provided polling that found the gambling measure's impact could even be a net benefit for supporters of the marriage equality law....

[The Task Force's communications director, Inga Sarda-Sorensen] tells BuzzFeed, "The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund believes an uncluttered ballot is the best ballot, and provides for the best chance for securing marriage equality in Maryland."

Indeed, The Washington Post recently published survey results commissioned by casino operator MGM arguing that a gambling referendum may be a net gain for marriage equality proponents (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: Pollsters also asked the “700 voters representing the likely 2012 Maryland electorate” how they would vote on a marriage-equality referendum. They found that supporters of gaming are also more likely to favor the marriage referendum.

Voters who plan to vote yes on the gaming amendment support the marriage referendum by a 63%-29% margin (a net 34 points in favor), while gaming amendment opponents oppose the marriage referendum by a 34%-54% margin (a net 20 points opposed).

“Thus,” the memo concludes, “fears that the gaming amendment will suppress support for the marriage referendum are unwarranted.”

Note that MGM is not a disinterested observer, given that they are planning on building a mega-casino at Prince George's County's National Harbor site.

More on the emerging referenda dynamics soon!

Gov. Martin O'Malley Releases Casino Expansion Bill for Special Session // SURPRISE: Tax Cuts for Casinos & 24 Hr. Gambling?

UPDATE: Read Gov. O'Malley's special gambling session FAQ below.

Before the start of tomorrow's special session of the legislature, Gov. Martin O'Malley has released a draft bill to expand gambling in Maryland. The legislation (available below) contains a mish-mosh of gambling policy changes to be voted on by the public in this November's Presidential Election.

TAX CUTS FOR CASINO OWNERS?  - While lawmakers were awaiting a decision from O'Malley on whether they would be called back to Annapolis a third time this year, they were bombarded with direct mail and phone calls asking them to reject tax cuts for casino operators. Numerous legislators reported receiving calls and emails from constituents calling on them to reject the gambling expansion plans. Current law taxes slot machine owners at 67%, but the draft legislation below does indeed call for casino owner tax cuts ranging from 6% to 10%. One justification for the gambling tax cuts is that the bill also requires slot operators to now buy their own machines. Maryland currently acquires the slot machines used in the state, but the proposed November referendum would transfer that duty to casino owners. Notably, casino mega-corporation MGM plans to operate a casino at Prince George's County's National Harbor site, but in recent days indicated it would move forward with the new mega-casino even without the slot machine tax cuts.

PRINCE GEORGE'S RESIDENTS PLAN PROTEST AGAINST GAMBLING SESSION: The Washington Post's John Wagner flagged a couple of other key items in the draft legislation, such as a provision allowing casinos to stay open 24 hours. Wagner also notes the timing of the proposed gambling expansion would bring table games to Maryland next year, with a Prince George's casino opening in 2016.

Meanwhile, Prince George's residents, who are concerned about a number of impacts to their communities, are planning to bus protesters to Annapolis to oppose the special gambling session tomorrow. The Real Prince George's blog today printed the following announcement (excerpt below):

REAL PRINCE GEORGE'S BLOG: On Thursday, August 9th 2012, as a host of organizations and concerned citizens will converge on the State House in Annapolis at the Lawyer’s Mall for a Rally and Press Conference at 11:00am....

1.     Governor O’Malley and the Assembly are attempting to rush through    a proposal for a new casino in just two to three days of debate.

2.     The Governor and Assembly are proposing to create a commission of unelected individuals to determine casino tax rates, possibly bailing them out on the backs of working families.

This is not a good deal for Prince George’s County and we don’t want it!....

See Gov. O'Malley's gambling session FAQ below:
Governor Martin O'Malley's Special Gambling Session FAQ

See a draft of the special session gambling expansion proposal below:
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's Special Session Gambling Legislation - 8/8/12