While it is not quite clear what their intentions are, the Poker Players Alliance has introduced a page on their website examining the current crop of politicians that are running for various offices during the 2014 midterm elections.
Entitled “It’s Time to Take the Jokers Out of the Deck,” the PPA webpage lists off 22 politicians who are either incumbents looking to hold onto their current positions or candidates looking to take over seats in various areas of government during the November 4 elections. The PPA’s bottom line on these candidates is that these politicians have taken anti-online gaming and/or poker stances. While not directly coming out and saying that PPA members should vote against them, the PPA encourages its membership to contact the various candidates and “let your voice be heard…it’s time to take the “jokers” out of the deck!”
The top two targets of the PPA’s drive are the men who introduced anti-online gaming and poker legislation in Congress over the past 12 months. South Carolina senior Senator Lindsey Graham and Utah Representative Jason Chaffetz, who introduced dual bills that would reinstate the previous anti-online gaming interpretation of the Wire Act of 1961 by the U. S. Justice Department, are these targets, but it is unlikely that either will have any issues with re-election. Although he went through a brutal primary, Graham is virtually a shoo-in for returning to the Senate from South Carolina and Chaffetz, from a state that has already banned gambling, will also likely return.
On the state level, there are several candidates for Governor that have drawn the targeting by the PPA. The current Attorney General of the state of Texas, Greg Abbott, is running for Governor against Democratic opponent Wendy Davis; in one of the most conservative states in the country, Abbott is expected to win handily. A politician who has backed the moves by Graham and Chaffetz in Congress, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, is also expected to have a fairly easy time in earning another term.
By far the biggest target – and one that might lose his position – is Florida Governor Rick Scott. Under Scott’s watch, Florida enacted a very-strong anti-online gaming law that resulted in subscription poker sites such as ClubWPT.com (among others) pulling their action out of the state. Scott has also been unable to bring full casino gaming into the Sunshine State, something that his main benefactor, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, has pursued. In the Florida race, Scott is neck-and-neck with former Governor Charlie Crist and may lose his place in the Governor’s Mansion.
Of the remaining candidates, 15 of them are up for reelection in the U. S. House of Representatives. Most notable on that list are Representatives Steve King of Iowa, Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Trey Gowdy of South Carolina and Mike Rogers of Michigan. Martha Coakley, running for Governor of Massachusetts, and Mario Scavello, a member of the Pennsylvania State House (and author of a bill that would criminalize online poker play), round out the suspects targeted by the PPA.
There is a decidedly lopsided nature as to the politicians that have been selected. Of the 22 people on the PPA’s target list, 17 are members of the Republican Party and five are members of the Democratic Party. This is along with the national platforms of both parties, however, as the GOP has a distinct platform from their 2012 National Convention that calls for the banning of online gaming and poker while the Democratic Party didn’t broach the subject (the Democrats on the PPA list have broken from their party and come out as anti-online gaming advocates).
While there are many subjects that voters should take into consideration when considering a candidate, the PPA is providing their membership with another point to look at when stepping into the voting booth next month. What success the PPA will have with this drive will be seen when the results start flowing in November 4.
