CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Last week, the sight of a man in a chicken suit outside the state Capitol was strange enough. Now, some are wondering if the spectacle was part of something even more bizarre.

The costumed man claimed to be part of a group that says it wants to legalize cockfighting in the Mountain State.

Tuesday, Ohio voters will head to the polls to decide whether to allow casinos in four cities there -- and supporters of the idea said they wouldn't be surprised if the pro-cockfighting group was part of an effort to defeat that ballot initiative.

The Ohio proposal, called Issue 3, would allow Ohio casinos to host any type of casino gambling allowed in Michigan, West Virginia, Indiana and Pennsylvania.

Cockfighting is outlawed in all 50 states. The "chicken" at the Capitol last week claimed to be part of a group called the West Virginia Association for Gamecock Sports. He waved to cars on Kanawha Boulevard and passed out a flier titled "Cockfighting at West Virginia Casinos!"

At a press conference in Columbus last week, a Methodist minister who opposes Issue 3 mentioned the prospect of cockfighting in Ohio casinos as a reason to vote against the initiative, two people told the Gazette on Monday.

"[The minister] said that he had even heard that West Virginia was trying to legalize cockfighting, and if they allowed it in casinos, then Ohio would have to allow it in casinos," said Bob Tenenbaum, spokesman for the pro-Issue 3 group Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee. 

Tenenbaum said he can't prove that the cockfighting group is a ploy by casino opponents, but added that nothing would surprise him at this point.

"It's been a very hard-fought battle, and in our opinion, one of the dirtiest campaigns ever staged in Ohio from the opposition side," he said. "The timing and the issue of this announcement certainly was extremely suspicious."

Sandy Theis, spokeswoman for the anti-Issue 3 group TruthPAC, said her group had never heard of the West Virginia Association for Gamecock Sports until last week. 

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Last week, the sight of a man in a chicken suit outside the state Capitol was strange enough. Now, some are wondering if the spectacle was part of something even more bizarre.

The costumed man claimed to be part of a group that says it wants to legalize cockfighting in the Mountain State.

Tuesday, Ohio voters will head to the polls to decide whether to allow casinos in four cities there -- and supporters of the idea said they wouldn't be surprised if the pro-cockfighting group was part of an effort to defeat that ballot initiative.

The Ohio proposal, called Issue 3, would allow Ohio casinos to host any type of casino gambling allowed in Michigan, West Virginia, Indiana and Pennsylvania.

Cockfighting is outlawed in all 50 states. The "chicken" at the Capitol last week claimed to be part of a group called the West Virginia Association for Gamecock Sports. He waved to cars on Kanawha Boulevard and passed out a flier titled "Cockfighting at West Virginia Casinos!"

At a press conference in Columbus last week, a Methodist minister who opposes Issue 3 mentioned the prospect of cockfighting in Ohio casinos as a reason to vote against the initiative, two people told the Gazette on Monday.

"[The minister] said that he had even heard that West Virginia was trying to legalize cockfighting, and if they allowed it in casinos, then Ohio would have to allow it in casinos," said Bob Tenenbaum, spokesman for the pro-Issue 3 group Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee. 

Tenenbaum said he can't prove that the cockfighting group is a ploy by casino opponents, but added that nothing would surprise him at this point.

"It's been a very hard-fought battle, and in our opinion, one of the dirtiest campaigns ever staged in Ohio from the opposition side," he said. "The timing and the issue of this announcement certainly was extremely suspicious."

Sandy Theis, spokeswoman for the anti-Issue 3 group TruthPAC, said her group had never heard of the West Virginia Association for Gamecock Sports until last week. 

"We don't have anything to do with that," she said. "We don't really know what to make of it ... We're still trying to figure out who's behind it and whether it's real."

MTR Gaming Group Chairman Jeff Jacobs is funding TruthPAC. MTR owns Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort in Chester. It also owns Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie, Pa. and Scioto Downs in Columbus. 

Last week, a man named Bradford Parker said he was a spokesman for the gamecock association. In a telephone interview with the Gazette, Parker said the group had been organizing itself for about 18 months. Parker also said the group is funded by donations and plans to open an office and hire a lobbyist in January.

The Secretary of State's Office does not have record of the association. If the group has offices in West Virginia and solicits donations, it must register as either a non-profit organization or a charity, depending on how much money its raises     

Its Web site, www.wva4gamecocks.com, consists of one page and links to a petition to legalize cockfighting in the United States. The flier distributed by the chicken-suited man cites a group called the Gamefowl Breeders of the United States, which doesn't exist.

Parker did not return messages left on his cell phone Friday and Monday. Another phone number provided on the flier has been disconnected.

Some lawmakers also are wondering about the group's motives. 

Delegate Don Perdue, a former president of the United Gamefowl Breeders Association, said he has never been contacted by either the UGBA or the American Game Fowl Society about legalizing cockfighting.

"Nobody [from those groups] at any time during my tenure has ever contacted me to sponsor that kind of legislation," the Wayne County Democrat said. "They have no interest in this kind of legislation."

@tag: Reach Alison Knezevich at alis...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1240.