Most of the Anti-Online Gambling Candidates Took Part in the Early “Second-Tier” GOP Presidential Debate
The anti-online gambling candidates among the candidates running for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Presidential Election in 2016 are not doing well in the polls. Of the seven candidates who are regarded as hostile to gambling in general or online gambling in particular, only one is considered a realistic candidate for the presidency.
The highest-polling anti-gambling candidate is Florida Senator Marco Rubio, whose average polling numbers in early September have been at 6.2%. Sen. Rubio earlier this summer signed his name as a co-sponsor of Restore America’s Wire Act, which would ban online casinos and poker sites in all 50 states. During his time in the Florida legislature, Marco Rubio was hostile to most forms of gambling. Though a Tea Party favorite due to his advocacy of less government, he traces his antipathy to his social conservative stance on many issues.
Most Anti-Gaming Candidates at 2% or Less
The remaining six candidates which have taken public stances against online gambling are not considered to have realistic chances to win the nomination, due to the crowded nature of the field. None are considered to have lost votes due to the stance on iGaming, but the topic is not seen as a boilerplate issue in the 2016 election. Still, the candidates tend to be from the same political spectrum.
Those candidates are Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, Former Governor Rick Perry of Texas, Former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, Former Gov. George Pataki of New York, and Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. All are considered to take “social conservative” stances on many issues, but have had trouble standing out from the rest of the pack.
Sen. Lindsey Graham at 0%
Senator Lindsey Graham is the man who first sponsored RAWA in the U.S. Senate in the spring of 2014. While he is a longtime senator from a very conservative state, Lindsey Graham is a close friend with Sen. John McCain and has been considered a moderate on most issues in the past.
He has gotten almost zero attention in the campaign, except when he and Donald Trump argued over “The Donald’s” incendiary comments about McCain’s war record. Despite the media coverage, Graham has gotten no traction with voters and sits at 0% in the polls.
Gov. Mike Huckabee – 4.5%
Gov. Mike Huckabee is the former governor of Arkansas and Fox News show host. Huckabee is a Christian minister who speaks out about the moral corruption of America, which he tends to attribute to the secular-liberal pop culture.
While Huckabee has his audience who respects his core values and willingness to discuss moral degeneracy, at least one pundit said his debate performance reminded them of one’s granddad ranting about the younger generation at the dinner table. Huckabee’s close friendship with scandal-ridden Jim Bob Duggar, who himself was an Arkansas Republican politician during Huckabee’s term as governor, might have hurt his moral standing with some GOP voters.
Gov. Rick Perry – 1.2%
Like Gov. Huckabee, Rick Perry is becoming a perennial candidate for the presidency. His 2016 has netted only slightly better results than his 2012 run, in which he was unable to answer basic questions during a televised debate. Rick Perry holds the record for the longest stint as governor in Texas (14 years), but even Texas Republicans seemed to dislike the long-serving governor. Perry once wrote an open letter calling for a ban on online gambling, so he presumably would support the RAWA.
Despite once threatening to secede from the Union during the Obamacare debate, Gov. Perry comes from the Bush school of conservatism and is considered relatively moderate. In a year when the outspoken radicals and outsiders are doing so well, Perry had little chance to succeed.
Gov. Bobby Jindal – 2%
Bobby Jindal, the current governor of Louisiana, has voiced his support of Sheldon Adelson’s Restore America’s Wire Act. Jindal’s support for such legislature is further sign of his long drift towards the political right, after first appearing on the scene as a seeming voice of reason and moderation.
The move towards the right has not done Gov. Jindal much good in the polls, as it is hard to sound more radical than Donald Trump or to get further right than Ben Carson. Jindal’s best hope is to be chosen as a vice presidential candidate.
Sen. Rick Santorum – 1%
Rick Santorum is a social conservative who once garnered headlines for what many people considered a far-right stance. In the atmosphere of 2016, Santorum’s strong conservative voice have gone largely ignored.
Rick Santorum is against all forms of gambling. He only sits at one percent in the polls, but presumably stays in the race because he made a strong showing in the Iowa Caucus in 2012.
Gov. George Pataki – 2%
George Pataki would be a particularly troublesome candidate for the online gambling community, as he once was the co-chair of the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling. CSIG is a public policy group formed by Sheldon Adelson to push RAWA in Congress.
Luckily for gaming operators, Pataki is a moderate on too many issues. As a Republican in a left-leaning state like New York, George Pataki had to compromise himself on too many issues over the years to be considered worthy by this Republican base–somewhat like Chris Christie.
More GOP Candidates
A number of other Republican candidates have unknown stances on the online gambling issue. Most, like Ben Carson and Ted Cruz, tend to take anti-government stances on many issues, so they might presumably be against federal oversight of online gambling. They also need to appeal to social conservatives, so any libertarian streak on moral issues could be neutralized.
Others, such as Scott Walker, John Kasich, Jim Gilmore, and Carly Fiorina, simply have unknown ideas on the gambling issue. It would be a mistake to assume they would not meddle, but they have given no indication what they might think on the issue.
