The race for the Republican nomination for Alabama's House District 85 (HD85) recently took a negative turn when a challenger accused the incumbent of being "bought and paid for by an out-of-state gambling interest."
Voters will cast their ballots in the primary election on May 19 to indicate their preference for their party's standard-bearer in the general election in November.
The Alabama Legislature failed to advance two comprehensive gambling bills in 2024, and the following two legislative sessions were too close to election season to expect another serious effort. However, with U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) expected to be the next governor, the state's gambling future has become a hot topic.
In HD85, State Rep. Rick Rehm (R-Dothan) surprised many in 2022 by defeating the 12-year Democratic incumbent, then-State Rep. Dexter Grimsley.
This year, Rehm faces a challenger in his own party: former Henry County Probate Judge and Henry County Commission chairman David Money.
Money announced his run late last year and has already picked up an endorsement from the Business Council of Alabama (BCA). He also boasted to 1819 News about other "big people" in the area backing him, without providing specifics.
The race has been relatively benign and has attracted little attention in recent months. That changed last week, when Rehm took to social media to address what he claimed were outright false accusations from Money's campaign.
The accusations involve a new boogeyman in Alabama's political scene, the American Conservative Fund (ACF) PAC.
The Virginia-based entity registered with the State of Alabama in January 2025 after initially receiving a $500,000 donation from Win For America, a PAC funded entirely by a $2 million donation from DK Crown Holdings, Inc., the corporate entity for DraftKings.
SEE ALSO: 'Dark money' PAC spends big on Alabama campaign mailers, TV ads without filing financial reports
The group has flooded parts of the state with campaign mailers and TV ads without filing regular financial reports with the Alabama Secretary of State's Office.
After ACF sponsored an online ad and mailers for Rehm, Money's campaign latched on, sending flyers accusing Rehm of being "bought and paid for by an out-of-state gambling interest."
Two bills were considered in 2024 to address gambling in the state. House Bill 151 (HB151) moved all constitutional amendments that allowed gambling in certain parts of the state and removed the state's constitutional prohibition on gambling. The other, House Bill 152 (HB152), authorized provisions legalizing electronic gaming in specific locations and a statewide education lottery. It also initially included casino gaming and sports betting, but those were removed from the final version. Both failed to pass.
Money told 1819 News that he began sending the "negative" campaign flyers after discovering ACF's attachment to DraftKings, stating that he was vehemently opposed to online sports betting.
"I've had several campaigns before, and I've never gone what might be considered as negative," Money told 1819 News. "This was just making the voters aware of the people who are very likely to fund several campaigns."
He continued, "That was the only way I could get the message out, was some advertising."
Rehm denied any association with ACF, calling Money's antics a desperate play from someone who's losing the race and has no record on which to run. Rehm also claimed to have returned two checks from two gaming entities promptly as a matter of moral principle.
"I have never communicated with them. I don't have a relationship with them. I don't know who they are," Rehm told 1819 News. "I have nothing to do with them. I wish they would stop sending mailers, by the way. Because I'm running my campaign."
Money's main contention with Rehm is that online gambling would be specifically up for a vote at the beginning of the new quadrennium. Rehm was a "yes" vote on both 2024 bills, multiple times before the House.
Money told 1819 News he was also in favor of approving a statewide referendum to allow voters to decide on a lottery. However, he would not vote to approve the lottery in the referendum.
Rehm contradicts that claim, stating that Money has stated at a public meeting that he would both vote to approve a referendum and approve a lottery.
"If it is properly regulated and the financial gain to the state can be used for education, infrastructure, law enforcement, those kinds of things, then I would solidly take the position [that] we need to allow the public to vote on this," Money said.
Money told 1819 News that he would "need to do more research" on class three gaming, also called casino-style gaming, before answering whether he would be for or against it.
Money says his contention with online gambling vs in-person is the ability for underage people to circumvent age restrictions.
"It's so less easy to control than casino gambling or a lottery would be," Money concluded.
Rehm reiterated an identical desire to Money to allow the population to vote on a state lottery, stating any future gaming legislation would have to be considered on its individual merits.
"I don't have an opinion," Rehm said. "I have to see a bill. What it looks like. What's in it, the pros and cons of that bill. I'm not going to say I would vote yes on any type of gambling."
Money's ads and mailers contained other accusations, which Rehm also denied. Rehm contends that Money is using ACF and the gambling issues as a red herring to distract from his lack of a political record in the district, which he also claims violates a gentleman's agreement between the pair.
"He is underwater in polling, and he is breaking his word," Rehm said. "We agreed to have positive campaigning, but this is all he could latch onto. I am talking about what I've accomplished, what my record is, and what I'm going to accomplish. He's not even talking about what he's doing. He's going negative."
He concluded, "It has nothing to do with gambling. He's losing this race."
Social media featured people criticizing Money's campaign for sending disparaging emails about Rehm, and asking how to stop receiving communications. 1819 News attempted to obtain recent campaign emails from Money and his team, but was unsuccessful.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
