Joe Hubbard gets $500K from Poarch Band

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians are pushing more chips into Joe Hubbard's campaign.

The federally-recognized tribe, which operates casinos in Atmore, Montgomery and Wetumpka, gave the Democratic nominee for attorney general $500,000 on Thursday, according to a campaign finance report filed Friday morning. Tuscaloosa developer Stan Pate gave Hubbard's campaign $250,000.

The Poarch Band has already given Hubbard $1 million for his campaign, allowing the Democrat to keep pace with current attorney general Luther Strange, a Republican. The donations also open Hubbard to charges from Strange of dependence on gambling interests. Of the $2 million raised by Hubbard since he announced his campaign for attorney general on Feb. 6, $1.5 million has come from the Poarch Band.

Hubbard, however, says the Poarch Band's support reflects their belief in his campaign.

"The Poarch Band have business interests all over Alabama, from developments to hotels to investments in other communities, and they're a very active participant in the business community in this state," Hubbard said in a phone interview Friday. "They believe in my ability and my plan to fight crime."

A message left with Robert McGhee, governmental relations director for the Poarch Band, was not immediately returned Friday.

Strange and the Poarch Band have clashed over the presence of electronic bingo at the tribe's gaming facilities. Strange contends the games, which have the appearance of slot machines, constitute Class III gaming and are in violation of the Alabama Constitution's ban on gambling. The tribe says the machines are Class II bingo, which they have a right to operate under federal law. A lawsuit brought by Strange against the tribe is currently pending in federal court.

In a statement, Strange said the donation showed Hubbard had "sold his campaign to the big casino bosses."

"It's very telling that while I have the support of the state's largest law enforcement groups, his only support is coming from a single powerful special interest that is being sued by the state," the statement said.

Unlike previous donations, which came through political action committees operated by Poarch Band lobbyist John Teague, the tribe gave their money directly to Hubbard's campaign Thursday.

Pate opposed former Gov. Bob Riley's casino crackdown, and hired a plane to fly a banner at the 2010 Alabama-Texas college football championship calling for Riley's impeachment. Pate, who made his donation Wednesday, accused Strange of "playing pure politics instead of good, good law enforcement" and extended his criticism of the gambling raids.

"When we have so much real crime going on around the state, why would we take the resources of this state to all of these raids?" he said. "We're using state trooper resources and ABI resources."

Hubbard has attacked Strange over the state's murder and violent crime rates, which have increased since 2010, although some violent crimes, including rape, burglary and robbery, have fallen over the past four years, while the state's property crime rate has fallen. Strange in turn has touted his record on crime as attorney general, and attacked Hubbard for voting against a 2011 constitutional amendment that said no one could be compelled to join a health care plan. The amendment was a largely symbolic protest against the Affordable Care Act.