RAWA Sponsor Lindsey Graham Exploring 2016 Presidential Bid

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Saturday, January 31st, 2015 | Written by Charles Washington

Last March, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) together with Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) sponsored the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA), a bill designed to restore an earlier interpretation of the Federal Wire Act (1961) and outlaw all forms of internet gambling. While lawmakers ultimately passed on the bill in December, Lindsey Graham has announced he is now considering securing the Republican nomination for a presidential run in 2016, raising the disconcerting prospect of having an anti-online gambling president in the White House if elected.

Before committing to a 2016 Presidential run, however, the 59-year-old Senator told the press he is currently forming a political organization called “Security Through Strength,” to assess his potential to run a successful presidential campaign. Commenting on the viability of his receiving the GOP presidential nomination, Lindsey Graham said:

“What I’m looking at is, is there a pathway forward on the ground in Iowa and New Hampshire for a guy like me? I don’t know until I look.”

Backing Of Sheldon Adelson

The Republican Senator has a formidable ally in the guise of billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, whose anti-online gambling crusade has attracted numerous accusations of hypocrisy from gambling advocates over the years. The Las Vegas Sands CEO has been trying to get a Republican in the White House for more than a decade now, and has contributed over $100 million in that regard to no avail. Mitt Romney, for instance, received $30 million in support for his campaign in 2012, and depending on what Lindsey Graham’s exploratory committee finds, the Republican Senator for South Carolina could become Adelson’s next GOP challenge.

Anti-Online Gambling Views

Interestingly, Graham showed little appetite for the internet gambling issue until Sheldon Adelson contributed funds to his Congress reelection campaign in 2013. More recently, Adelson has started renewing his efforts to ban online gambling in the US, and according to a report by townhall.com held a private briefing with a group of Republican lawmakers, including RAWA co-sponsor Chaffetz, in what has been described as a strategy meeting.

Senator Lindsey Graham is now considered one of the leading opponents of online gambling and poker in the US and hasn’t missed an opportunity to speak out against the industry at every turn. This week at the US Attorney General nomination hearing, for instance, Graham quizzed nominee Loretta Lynch on her views on online gambling, and asked her:

“Would you agree one of the best ways for a terrorist organization or a criminal enterprise to be able to enrich themselves is to have online gaming that would be very hard to regulate?”

Signal Adelson Hasn’t Given Up The Fight

Senator Lindsey Graham’s decision to spend part of his allotted time at the A.G. nomination hearing probing Loretta Lynch on her insights on online wagering likely indicates a coordinated effort with Sheldon Adelson to continue bringing the whole issue to the fore. If Graham does manage to secure the presidency in 2016, the debate will likely surface more often in order to satisfy those campaign funds contributed by Adelson.

For her part, Loretta Lynch demonstrated a more measured approach to the subject when she answered Graham’s loaded question by stating: “I think certainly that with respect from those that provide material support and finance of a terrorist organization is that they will use any means to finance those organizations.”

At present, Congress has not shown any great desire to tackle the issue of online gambling, and the potential Attorney General’s neutral stance could prove useful for the country’s online poker community over the coming period. Furthermore, Barack Obama and Lindsey Graham have indicated that they are both “inclined” to lend her their support, although Graham’s decision may be simply a calculated demonstration of bipartisanship.

“My party is center right. Barack Obama ran as a centrist, he’s been in the left ditch. To get America out of the left ditch, you don’t want to put the car in the right ditch,” explained Senator Graham.

A Long Way To Go

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) joins a long list of at least 15 other Republicans currently considering running for the US presidency, including Jeb Bush (Florida), Mike Huckabee (Arkansas), and Chris Christie (New Jersey). Therefore, what the country’s internet poker industry would look like if Graham achieves the presidency is a distant matter of speculation, as is his actual chances of being named the next GOP nominee in the first place.