Opponent of Washington’s online gambling ban drops out of governor’s race
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Lee Rousso, a Washington attorney who has been waging a legal battle against the state’s law that prohibits online gambling, has dropped out of the governor’s race.
Rousso is also a state director for the Poker Players Alliance, and had been planning to run as a Democrat against incumbent Chris Gregoire. His main reason behind running was to overturn the law that makes online gambling a felony in Washington state.
According to cardplayer.com:
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.
Rousso also said he is dropping out because he has a currently active case in the Washington state system challenging the online gambling ban. The case had been inactive, but it now appears that it will be heard in court, perhaps this spring.
