What was once a sleepy race to replace an outgoing state senator in Tarrant County is now a multi-million-dollar grudge match this fall. Voters will decide between three candidates for Senate District 9 this Tuesday.

Senate District 9 is the first battle in a larger war next year between business groups who want the voters to decide whether to expand gambling in Texas and Christian conservatives who do not want casinos in Texas. Big money is already being spent.

The district spans roughly the northern half of Tarrant County. State lawmakers designed the district to select a Republican Senator during the last cycle of redistricting.

The two Republican candidates, conservative activist Leigh Wambsganss and former mayor of Southlake John Huffman, agree on most issues, except for one glaring exception: whether to change the state constitution and let voters decide whether to expand gambling or not.

“Those gambling entities have billions and billions of dollars, and they can really do an incredible misinformation campaign,” said Wambsganss.

Her team has referred to Huffman as a “wholly owned subsidiary” of the Las Vegas Sands. The family of businesswoman and Dallas Mavericks owner Miriam Adelson is on a mission to expand gambling and has donated $1.2 million to Huffman. A related group has spent more than $2 million supporting him with political ads, according to required campaign disclosures.

“I believe that Texans can decide for themselves whether or not they want these large destination resorts inside the state,” said Huffman.

Responding to Wambsganss’ criticism, Huffman said the Adleson family is “also one of the very largest donors in Republican history—over nine figures, over $100 million to President Trump and millions of dollars to conservative leaders like Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Patrick, and Ted Cruz. And I’m honored to be on that list.

Lone Star Politics sits down with Republican candidate John Huffman ahead of the Senate District 9 race.

Huffman notes how Wambsganss’s husband made money running slot-machine-like pull-tab machines in other states several years ago, calling her hypocritical.

“It’s so silly. It’s his deflection to getting caught having over 94% of his campaign funds coming from one out-of-state gambling interest. That was charitable gaming, which is completely different. It was a fundraiser for the VFW, and it’s really quite humorous,” responded Wambsganss.

Wambsganss has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from major political players, including Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s organization, oilman Tim Dunn from West Texas, and the business group Texans for Lawsuit Reform, according to state ethics forms.

Lone Star Politics sits down with Republican candidate Leigh Wambsganss ahead of the Senate District 9 race.

The Texas Senate is the main obstacle to any effort to expand gaming in Texas to include casino gaming. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick will not bring the item to the floor without enough Republican votes in the upper chamber. He’s said publicly it does not have enough votes. Even if the legislature were to pass it, it would then need to be approved by Texas voters in a statewide referendum to amend the constitution.

Wambsganss lives in Southlake and works as a VP of the conservative wireless cell phone carrier Patriot Mobile. The company has a very active political organization that donates to conservative causes. Much of their recent work has been on contentious school board races. She has the endorsemnet ot President Donald Trump, Patrick, and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz.

Wambsganss signed on to a letter earlier this year from the Grayson County Republicans opposing Governor Abbott’s school choice voucher proposal, fearing that too many government rules would be included and that students who crossed into Texas illegally might get access to the funds. In a recent interview, she said she was comfortable supporting the final product.

Huffman is a real estate developer and is the former Mayor of Southlake. He’s running on his government experience and has the endorsement of Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, Fort Worth State Rep. Charlie Geren, and current Southlake Mayor Shawn McCaskill.

Both candidates state that they will prioritize lowering property taxes and enhancing public safety measures.

Late in the race, a manipulation of a photo showing Wambsganss wearing an inverted cross – often seen as a satanic symbol – drew attention to the easy ability to create fake images online. She called the smear “Demonic!” and was supported by Lt. Governor Patrick, who blamed Huffman for the image.

Huffman’s team denied any involvement. Huffman said he did not condone it as a political tactic.

The race is so contentious that it opens a lane for the Democrat in the race, machinist Taylor Rehmet, who is open to expanding gambling if no state money is used.

“If they wouldn’t invest in taxes, I would only really want to make sure that they’re bringing good union-paying jobs, well-paying jobs so that Texans can live better here,” said Rehmet.

Lone Star Politics sits down with Democratic candidate Taylor Rehmet ahead of the Senate District 9 race.

Rehmet, the Democrat in the race, said he will prioritize workers’ rights, raise required pay, and make it easier for labor groups to organize in Texas. He was the president of both the local and state chapters of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the union representing workers at Lockheed Martin and other defense contractors, which have a strong presence in Tarrant County.

Early voting has ended. Election Day is Tuesday. If no candidate gets the majority of the vote, the top two candidates go to a runoff election.