Candidates scorn tribal contributions

McGee:  C'mon, just take the money!If tribal governments were any other kind of entity in the United States, a smart strategy would be to participate in the political process surrounding a presidential race. Even with the advent of campaign finance reform, presidential elections still offer opportunities for individuals and entities to influence a candidate's position and attempt to secure commitments through, among other things, the contribution of funds to the candidates' political campaigns.

However, tribes presently are under the impression that the candidates have taken a "no, thank you" position about accepting tribal contributions to their individual presidential campaigns. This is an impression rather than a known fact because campaigns have refused to go on record about their policies regarding tribal contributions. Repeated requests to each campaign manager and their press offices continue to go unanswered on this simple question: "What is your official position on accepting political contributions from tribal governments?"