WEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- A contributor to Jim Nussle's campaign for governor of Iowa has withdrawn his support over the Republican candidate's call for removing the controversial TouchPlay lottery machines from Iowa businesses, reported the Des Moines Register.
The move is the first political repercussion over the issue involving the machines, which look like casino-style slot machines, said the report.
"Jim, you have destroyed our confidence in you as a candidate for governor," William Krause, whose family owns [image-nocss] the Kum & Go chain, wrote to Nussle in a January 17 e-mail cited by the newspaper.
Krause and son Kyle, Kum & Go's CEO, contributed more than $25,000 to Nussle's campaign, according to financial disclosure reports also cited by the paper.
Nussle responded by reiterating his position that the state ought to rely less on gambling revenue. "I want to make it very clear that I believe video slot machines are not the answer to Iowa's entrepreneurial future," he said.
The e-mail was sent the week after Nussle proclaimed he would have the machines removed from all Iowa businesses, if elected, the report said.
Krause's company owns more than 400 c-stores across the Midwest. There are TouchPlay machines in about 200 Iowa locations, the paper told the Des Moines Register. There are approximately 5,000 machines at more than 2,600 locations, the paper added. An additional 5,000 were ordered before Governor Tom Vilsack imposed a moratorium on new orders.
Nussle's opponent in the June primary, Sioux City business consultant Bob Vander Plaats, holds the same position as Nussle on the issue, said the report. The four leading Democratic candidates have said they are content with the response by Vilsack, also a Democrat.
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