The 2026 Alabama Attorney General’s race keeps heating up.
On Monday morning, former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell’s campaign accused opponent Katherine Robertson of “accepting campaign contributions tied to the gambling industry.”
Such a move, they argue, is “a break with past Attorneys General who have stood as the last line of defense against gambling expansion in Alabama.”
As previously reported, Robertson received a $10,000 donation from the Poarch Creek Indians in her July monthly fundraising report.
While neither campaign has statedly referenced that the donation was from PCI, Mitchell said on Monday that he previously declined support from ‘big gambling’ interests.
“The Attorney General’s job is to protect Alabama families and enforce the law—not to cozy up with big gambling interests for campaign funding. What are they buying, and what is Katherine Robertson selling for this support?” asked Mitchell.
“I have directly declined financial support from big gambling because I oppose gambling expansion in Alabama. I believe that the Alabama Attorney General has a moral and legal obligation to fight illegal gambling and prevent the harm it does to our communities,” he said.
In the release, the campaign highlighted previous statements from Robertson on the campaign trail, telling the Mid-Alabama Republican Club of the donation in August, “They offered me money, I took it, I am not going to apologize for it.”
The campaign also accused Robertson of a “sharp reversal” from her previous public stance. They pointed to a 2015 editorial authored by Robertson while at the Alabama Policy Institute in which she opposed lotteries and casino gambling.
“As Attorney General, I will enforce the laws against illegal gambling without conflicted interests. I will not hesitate to protect our communities and put Alabama families first,” Mitchell said in the fiery campaign dispatch.
In response, Robertson’s campaign released a statement to Yellowhammer News.
“Mr. Mitchell’s assertions are patently false. The truth, on this topic and others, will eventually catch up with him. Katherine Robertson is the proven, principled candidate in this race,” a spokesperson said.
The perennial attack on gambling interests as a political issue in Alabama comes after a recent push by state lawmakers to set up a legal gambling framework fell short during the 2024 legislative session.
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians, Alabama’s only federally-recognized tribe and operator of the Wind Creek casinos in Atmore, Montgomery, and Wetumpka, and the Birmingham Race Course, would fit prominently into such a framework.
Beyond gaming, PCI maintains a much broader economic footprint. As previously reported, the tribe’s in-state impact totals more than $4 billion annually, with roughly 7,400 jobs and hundreds of millions in taxes and wages generated.
Since 2024, the Poarch Creek Indians have made more than $250,000 in political contributions to individual candidates, including to some of the state’s top executive and legislative officials.
The Alabama AG’s role is a unique one. The state has repeatedly pursued actions against illegal “electronic bingo.”
In 2022, the Alabama Supreme Court ordered the shutdown of machines at several facilities, which created precedent that future AGs will be obligated to enforce.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
