Sen. Ron Sandack’s Flip Flop

State Senator Ron Sandack’s (R-Downers Grove) vote in support of anti-family gambling expansion in SB 1849 is in stark contradiction to the position he stated earlier this year in the IFI Voter Guide and on the URF 2012 candidate questionnaire.

Both survey’s clearly asked if the candidate supported the expansion of gambling in the state of Illinois.  The Illinois Family Institute survey went so far to specifically cite SB 744 and SB 1849 as examples of gambling expansion.  Sandack clearly responded that he was “opposed” to gambling expansion in his responses to both of these questionnaires.

Illinois Review reports on the flip-flop, suggesting that campaign donations from Penn National Gaming, Inc. may have influenced Sandack’s flip-flop and his decision to put gambling interests over the interests of the families in his district.

Read more HERE.

Unfortunately, five other Republicans decided to ignore the Illinois Republican Platform which identifies gambling as harmful to families and to the business climate. Senators Matt Murphy (Palatine) and Dave Syverson (Rockford) both took to the floor to support SB 1849, urging their colleagues to vote in favor of this anti-family legislation.  Republican Senators Larry Bomke(Springfield), David Luechtefeld (Okawville), Carole Pankau (Bloomingdale), and Ron Sandack (Downers Grove) also voted in favor of a massive expansion of predatory gambling in our state — legislation that authorizes five new casinos, including one in the City of Chicago, and adds video slot machines at the existing six horse race tracks.  This would bring the total number of casino-like establishments in Illinois to twenty-one.