Post by jdaddy on Apr 3, 2008 17:06:52 GMT -4
Poker Loses its Candidate for Washington State Governor
BY: BOB PAJICH | bob.pajich@cardplayer.com
PUBLISHED: Tuesday Apr 01, 2008 03:53 PM
Lee Rousso Drops Out in Face of Election-Law Change
Lee Rousso, the Washington State attorney who is currently battling the state’s harsh online gambling law through the courts, is no longer running for Governor there.
He announced his campaign in January through the Poker Players Alliance, where he serves as state director. He put his name in the hat as a Democrat nominee to face incumbent Chris Gregoire and challenger Elias Oviedo. He told CardPlayer.com that his main goal was to remove the law Gregoire backed that makes it a felony to play online poker there.
He knew he was a long-shot, at best, but he hoped to attract enough Republican voters in the primary to put pressure on the incumbent and raise awareness of the online poker law. Voters in Washington State can vote for any candidate they choose, Republican or Democrat, in their primaries.
Rousso dropped out after a United States Supreme Court ruling forced changes to Washington State’s election law. When Rousso filed, the election rules sent one person from each party’s primary to the main election. Rousso was counting on attracting “crossover” voters from the Republican party who were angry with Gregoire’s policies. But since the March ruling, election rules changed the primary to a “top-two” format, meaning the top-two vote getters, regardless of their party affiliations, now advance to the general election.
“It basically cut me off at the legs in terms of my campaign strategy,” Rousso said. “I will concede I was a bit of a long shot to begin with, but there’s difference between being a 100-to-one shot and being a 1 million-to-one shot, and I did not mind being a 100-to-one shot. If I was a 1 million-to-one shot, it would look like I was just a protest candidate or a gadfly, and I wanted to run as a serious candidate, so, if things fell in to place, I would have a chance of winning.”
Another reason he withdrew was because his case challenging Washington State’s law that makes it a class C felony to gamble online or play online poker is advancing.
Rousso is arguing that the law is unconstitutional, and after months of court inaction, the case has picked up speed. He had a preliminary hearing Friday and said he is confident that the judge will give him his day in court. The ruling is due any day. If the judge sides with Rousso, that day will be May 15.
The outcome of this case may determine whether Rousso gets back into politics after his brief stay.
“Obviously, if I get this law changed, there wouldn’t be an incentive for me to get into politics,” he said.
BY: BOB PAJICH | bob.pajich@cardplayer.com
PUBLISHED: Tuesday Apr 01, 2008 03:53 PM
Lee Rousso Drops Out in Face of Election-Law Change
Lee Rousso, the Washington State attorney who is currently battling the state’s harsh online gambling law through the courts, is no longer running for Governor there.
He announced his campaign in January through the Poker Players Alliance, where he serves as state director. He put his name in the hat as a Democrat nominee to face incumbent Chris Gregoire and challenger Elias Oviedo. He told CardPlayer.com that his main goal was to remove the law Gregoire backed that makes it a felony to play online poker there.
He knew he was a long-shot, at best, but he hoped to attract enough Republican voters in the primary to put pressure on the incumbent and raise awareness of the online poker law. Voters in Washington State can vote for any candidate they choose, Republican or Democrat, in their primaries.
Rousso dropped out after a United States Supreme Court ruling forced changes to Washington State’s election law. When Rousso filed, the election rules sent one person from each party’s primary to the main election. Rousso was counting on attracting “crossover” voters from the Republican party who were angry with Gregoire’s policies. But since the March ruling, election rules changed the primary to a “top-two” format, meaning the top-two vote getters, regardless of their party affiliations, now advance to the general election.
“It basically cut me off at the legs in terms of my campaign strategy,” Rousso said. “I will concede I was a bit of a long shot to begin with, but there’s difference between being a 100-to-one shot and being a 1 million-to-one shot, and I did not mind being a 100-to-one shot. If I was a 1 million-to-one shot, it would look like I was just a protest candidate or a gadfly, and I wanted to run as a serious candidate, so, if things fell in to place, I would have a chance of winning.”
Another reason he withdrew was because his case challenging Washington State’s law that makes it a class C felony to gamble online or play online poker is advancing.
Rousso is arguing that the law is unconstitutional, and after months of court inaction, the case has picked up speed. He had a preliminary hearing Friday and said he is confident that the judge will give him his day in court. The ruling is due any day. If the judge sides with Rousso, that day will be May 15.
The outcome of this case may determine whether Rousso gets back into politics after his brief stay.
“Obviously, if I get this law changed, there wouldn’t be an incentive for me to get into politics,” he said.