On Thursday, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the major lobbying voice for poker players in the United States, released a list of 58 Congressman that its Poker Political Action Committee (PokerPAC) is endorsing in the general elections next month. The list includes incumbents and non-incumbents alike and consists of both Democrats and Republicans.
Former Senator Alfonse D’Amato and former Congressman Toby Moffett, the Chairmen of the PokerPAC, commented in a press release distributed by the PPA, “Through the efforts of the Poker Players Alliance and its members, more and more of our elected officials in Congress are seeing the value of establishing a safe, regulated market for online poker. This year’s election is critical to ensuring that candidates are elected who support the rights of poker players and who choose to take action to protect American consumers.”
The PAC’s endorsement of a lawmaker is primarily based on their support of pro-poker legislation in Congress. Bills favorable to internet poker like Congressman Barney Frank’s (D-MA) HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, lie dormant as the Congress turns over to 2011. The House Financial Services Committee approved HR 2267 in July. However, the bill has not yet been discussed on the floor of the House of Representatives and will be deemed “dead” if it is not acted on before the new Congress is seated in January.
Frank’s name is on the list of 58 Congressmen endorsed by PokerPAC. Others include familiar faces like Shelley Berkley (D-NV), a co-sponsor of HR 2267 who once proposed a bill to study the industry in detail. Also on the list is Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA). The Washington Congressman’s HR 2268 serves as the tax companion bill to HR 2267. Ironically, it is a Class C felony to play online poker on McDermott’s home turf due to a law that the Washington State Supreme Court recently upheld.
Republicans like Ron Paul (R-TX), Peter King (R-NY), and Pete Sessions (R-TX), whose names have popped up several times since the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was signed into law four years ago, are also endorsed by PokerPAC. In 2008, Sessions introduced a bill to clarify the UIGEA, but the PPA came out against it due to language asserting that there had been a “lack of authoritative court decisions on the applicability of other federal criminal statutes to internet poker and casino-style gambling.” Nevertheless, PokerPAC has its full weight behind the Texan this year.
General elections in the United States will take place on November 2nd. The entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate will be up for grabs. In the mid-term elections, the vote is expected to lean heavily towards Republicans. Here are the 58 Congressmen endorsed by PokerPAC:
John Adler (D-NJ)
Robert Andrews (D-NJ)
Joe Barton (R-TX)
Shelley Berkley (D-NV)
Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Judy Biggert (R-IL)
Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
John Callahan (D-PA)
John Campbell (R-CA)
Russ Carnahan (D-MO)
Lacy Clay (D-MO)
Steve Cohen (D-TN)
John Conyers (D-MI)
Joe Courtney (D-CT)
Steve Driehaus (D-OH)
Barney Frank (D-MA)
Joe Garcia (D-FL)
Jim Gerlach (R-PA)
Alan Grayson (D-FL)
Alcee Hastings (D-FL)
Dean Heller (R-NV)
Jim Himes (D-CT)
Paul Hodes (D-NH)
Steve Israel (D-NY)
Darrell Issa (R-CA)
Paul Kanjorski (D-PA)
Peter King (R-NY)
Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH)
Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL)
Leonard Lance (R-NJ)
John Larson (D-CT)
Christopher Lee (R-NY)
Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)
Connie Mack (R-FL)
Dan Maffei (D-NY)
Kenny Marchant (R-TX)
Betsy Markey (D-CO)
Jim McDermott (D-WA)
George Miller (D-CA)
Walt Minnick (D-ID)
Jim Moran (D-VA)
Christopher Murphy (D-CT)
Scott Murphy (D-NY)
Ron Paul (R-TX)
Ed Perlmutter (D-CO)
Tom Perriello (D-VA)
Gary Peters (D-MI)
Jared Polis (D-CO)
Harry Reid (D-NV)
Linda Sanchez (D-CA)
Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Robert Scott (D-VA)
Pete Sessions (R-TX)
Bennie Thompson (D-MS)
Dina Titus (D-NV)
Mel Watt (D-NC)
Anthony Weiner (D-NY)
Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA)
Callahan and Garcia, who are running in Pennsylvania and Florida, respectively, are not incumbents, while the other 56 are currently in office. The PPA has also released a full-blown Congressional Ratings Guide that grades each lawmaker on Capitol Hill based on their support of poker legislation.
I understand one issue politics and how PACs work but many of the candidates that you endorse are bad for the country as a whole regardless of their views on online poker. It is a good way to discourage membership in your organization. I am a lot less enthusiastic about it.
What candidates are “bad for the country as a whole” and why?
if the house of representatives held in majority now by the democrats is lost to the republican party in november what are the chances of the barney frank bill on legalized online poker we need a legalized and regulated online poker network in this country gl at the tables everyone god bless the usa
Regardless of who controls Congress in January, Barney Frank’s bill will be declared dead if it’s not acted on by the end of the current Congressional session. If Republicans were to assume control of the House, then Frank would also more than likely be out as Financial Services Committee Chair.