Washington Poker Proponent Drops out of Governor Race

April 3 - When Lee Rousso, top Washington State attorney, announced in January of this year that he was running for the post of Governor, he knew he had a long shot. However, his main objective was draw attention to the State's extremely controversial online gambling law. The legislation, that was only voted in recently, was a huge blow to Washington poker fans who could be charged for a felony if caught playing their favorite game on the internet.

Up against big fish such as Elias Oviedo and Chris Gregoire, Rousso wasn't optimistic that he could become governor, but he did hope to attract enough Republicans to his Democratic camp and further awareness of the Washington poker laws in this way.

A Supreme Court ruling, however, changed Rousso's plans for him. Rules have been changed so that the top two candidates who manage to garner the most votes, irrespective of their party affiliations, advance to the general election. When Rousso announced his candidacy, the rules were different. As a result, he announced that he was quitting the race this week.

Referring to the Supreme Court ruling, Rousso said: "It basically cut me off at the legs in terms of my campaign strategy. I will concede I was a bit of a long shot to begin with, but there's a difference between being a 100-to-one shot and a one million to one shot, and I did not mind being a 100-to-one shot.  If I was a one-million-to-one shot, it would look like I was a protest candidate or a gadfly, and I wanted to run as a serious candidate, so, if things fell into place, I would have a chance of winning.

Rousso has challenged the state's online gambling laws in courts, arguing that they are unconstitutional. It is expected that a ruling on Washington poker will be made next month.