Branstad occasionally used planes owned by wealthy supporters such as Bruce Rastetter and Jim Cownie but was normally driven to events by his Iowa State Patrol security detail. The governor’s office noted that campaign donations can be used to pay for elected officials’ outreach to constituents. Smith said Reynolds won’t take a position on a Cedar Rapids casino and will let the commission use its “independent judgment.” Conversely, Reynolds could have used her $1 million campaign fund to rent a plane. The tour was considered official state business, which means taxpayers could have paid for the travel. Reynolds’ press secretary Brenna Smith praised Kirke’s generosity. Kirke said Reynolds’ staff called to ask if she could use his plane for the tour and, “I was honored to be asked and happy to help.” The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission will decide later this year whether to grant a license.
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The company is in a high-stakes competition against a rival group for a state license to build the first casino in Cedar Rapids, Iowa’s second-largest city. Kirke and Richards are chairman and vice chairman of Wild Rose Entertainment, which owns casinos in Emmetsburg, Clinton and Jefferson. Kirke’s business partner, Michael Richards, was elevated last month to president of the Board of Regents, which governs Iowa’s three public universities. Kirke, a millionaire casino magnate, has given $25,000 to Reynolds’ campaigns and $135,000 to her political mentor, former Gov. The arrangement, while apparently allowed under ethics rules, is drawing criticism from Reynolds’ opponents, highlighting Kirke’s cozy relationship with the administration and raising security questions. In response to inquiries from The Associated Press, the governor’s office said the pair, a state trooper and staffers traveled in an airplane owned by businessman Gary Kirke, who donated the use of the plane and services of two pilots as in-kind contributions to Reynolds’ newly established gubernatorial campaign.