Monday, April 29, 2002
Mashantuckets, Mohegans use cash to get more clout
By BRIAN SCHEID and GAIL ELLEN DALY
Norwich Bulletin
When casinos took root in eastern Connecticut more than a decade ago, the area's Indian tribes began legally funneling millions of dollars into local and national campaigns of candidates who support Indian issues.
But, the tribes, which throughout the 1990s contributed mainly to Democratic candidates, have begun giving heavily to Republicans.
During the 2000 campaign, the Mashantucket Pequots, who own Foxwoods Resort Casino, gave about $500,000 in national political donations, more than any other American Indian group in the country.
Since Jan. 1, 2001, the Mashantucket Pequots have given $110,000 to candidates, including more than $80,000 to national and state Republican committees.
The Mohegan tribe, which owns and operates the Mohegan Sun casino, has donated more than $30,000 to political campaigns since 2001, including a $25,000 contribution to the Republican National State Elections Committee.
"It's totally non-partisan," Mohegan Tribal Chairman Mark Brown said. "We look at a candidate's stance on the issues and decide who we see as the best candidate."
From Pennsylvania to California, the tribes have donated to candidates with pro-Indian views and voting histories. In 1996, the Mashantucket Pequots were listed by the Center for Responsive Politics as the top donor to Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawaii, a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The tribe has contributed more than $60,000 to Inouye, according to CRP.
"The Mashantucket Pequots' policy is to donate money to those members of Congress we believe are protecting tribal sovereignty," said Dan Little, the tribe's legislative and political affairs manager at the Mashantucket Pequots' Washington, D.C., office.
"It's good to have members in Congress who understand the issues," he said.
Little said that according to election law, a tribe is considered an individual and limited to $1,000 per candidate for each election. "For example, we can give $1,000 for a primary and another $1,000 for the general election," he said. "Corporation donations far outweigh anything tribes can donate."
Tribes also are considered a community, however, and as a community, there is no cap on the total amount of money it can donate.
"This is our voice, and how we stay active in the political process," Little said.
While campaign contributions have made a marked move to the right, Mashantucket Pequot leaders continued to give to Democrats.
Since June 1999, Mashantucket Tribal Chairman Kenneth Reels has made more than $12,000 in campaign contributions, including about $2,000 in donations to U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, D-1st District, $1,000 to U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and $2,000 to former U.S. Rep. Sam Gejdenson, who lost his seat in the 2nd District to Republican Rob Simmons in 2000.
In 1999, Reels' predecessor Richard "Skip" Hayward gave $2,000 to Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and $5,000 to the Democratic National Committee.