James Talarico won the Democratic primary in Texas on a campaign focused on reclaiming Christianity from the Republicans. Despite his Christian values, he has publicly endorsed legalizing casinos in the state and received financial backing from Las Vegas Sands owner Miriam Adelson. His victory is therefore good news for Sands’ plans to develop a Texas casino.
Despite its name, the casino group no longer has any properties in the US; instead, it focuses on Asia, with flagship resorts in Macau and Singapore.
The company has earmarked Texas for its re-entry into the country. Senior Vice President Andy Abboud said they are willing to wait as long as it takes to develop the state’s first casino in North Texas.
And Talarico could be instrumental in making that happen. That is why the group’s major political action committee, the Texas Sands PAC, has donated heavily to his campaigns.
Billionaires Own Politicians
In 2024, the PAC was among his top donors, contributing $59,000. At the same time, Talarico has campaigned against billionaire political donors.
He spent over $8.6 million in advertising during his recent campaign, while an allied group, Lone Star Rising PAC, spent an additional $4.1 million. Part of that money went on a Super Bowl ad that declared, “Billionaires don’t just influence politicians, they own them.”
In the ad, he also says he does not take corporate PAC money. There is no evidence that Las Vegas Sands contributed to his most recent campaign.
He previously defended his decision to accept money from Adelson, stating, “I am in this broken system like everybody else is. I, at least, am trying to put forward ideas for how it could be different.”
Antonio Esparza, a Talarico spokesperson, denied that Las Vegas Sands’ PAC money had influenced his views on bringing a casino to Texas. Instead, Esparza told Politico that he has backed the legalization of casino gambling “his entire career” because it “will bring good jobs and additional tax revenue” to the state.
Either way, that means his rise to power could help Sands in its relentless push to develop a Texas casino. The group has donated more than $15 million to candidates across the state, with millions more put aside for future lobbying efforts.
Talarico Receives Strong Backing
“We are not just trying to win an election,” Talarico said at his rally in Austin. “We are trying to fundamentally change our politics, and it’s working.”
The 36-year-old was heavily backed with his campaign receiving $7.4 million in donations. Prediction market users were also backing him to defeat rival candidate Rep. Jasmine Crockett. His chances of victory rose from around 35% to over 60% at Kalshi in December. Over $14 million was traded on the market, and it was one of the most popular on the platform on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump has branded Talarico a “radical” but appears threatened by his win. He said he will be endorsing a Republican candidate in the Senate primary in the near future, adding that he will ask the other candidate to step aside.
On the Republican side, Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton advanced to a runoff on Tuesday. Cornyn is fancied to win the race, but Talarico would prefer to go against Paxton, who has been engulfed in corruption allegations since taking office in 2015.
Kalshi’s market on the eventual Senate primary winner currently gives Talarico a 31% chance of a landmark victory.
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James Talarico won the Democratic primary in Texas on a campaign focused on reclaiming Christianity from the Republicans. Despite his Christian values, he has publicly endorsed legalizing casinos in the state and received financial backing from Las Vegas Sands owner Miriam Adelson. His victory is therefore good news for Sands’ plans to develop a Texas
The post Texas Casino Could Be on Horizon After James Talarico Wins Primary appeared first on CasinoBeats.