Congressional Races: Being a Video Game Critic Doesn't Hurt a Candidate

Congressional Races: Being a Video Game Critic Doesn't Hurt a Candidate

November 5, 2008

For Election Day GamePolitics posted a watch list of congressional races in which the candidates had some connection to the video game scene.

Most of the incumbent senators and representatives on this list are (or have been) game critics and all of them won re-election. Those results seem to indicate that the video game issue lacks political significance among voters at the national level, at least for now.

Here are the results of those races:

U.S. Senate:

Roger Wicker (R-MS) - The video game critic (he currently has game ratings legislation in the Senate) won handily with 55% of the vote.

Ted Stevens (R-AK) - Although the race hasn't been called yet, amazingly, the corrupt, tech-challenged Stevens (he's the famous "series of tubes" guy) leads his challenger by 3,500 votes. Voters in red state Alaska may be thinking that Stevens will be forced to resign when he trades his pin-striped suit for a striped suit of another kind. When that happens the guv (let's see, what's her name again?) will appoint a Republican replacement.

Mark Warner - the tech-savvy Warner (he famously made a campaign stop in Second Life) smoked his opponent with 64% of the vote.

U.S. House of Representatives:

Lee Terry (R-NE) The co-author of the House version of the Video Games Rating Enforcement Act won re-election with 52% of the vote. 

Jim Matheson (D-UT) The co-author (with Lee Terry) of the House version of the Video Games Rating Enforcement Act won re-election with 63% of the vote.

Fred Upton (R-MI) Hot Coffee critic and sponsor of the 2006 Video Game Decency Act won re-election with 59% of the vote. He can thus expect a continued stream of Urgent! e-mails from disbarred anti-game attorney Jack Thompson.

Betty McCollum (D-MN) Game industry critic and supporter of Dr. David Walsh and the National Institute on Media & the Family won re-election handily with 69% of the vote.

Cliff Stearns (R-FL) Game industry critic and co-sponsor of the 2006 Truth in Video Games Rating Act won re-election easily with 61% of the vote.

Joe Baca (D-CA) Despite being named one the 10 Worst Members of Congress by Esquire magazine, serial video game legislator Baca cruised to re-election with 66% of the vote.

Ron Paul (R-TX) Running unopposed, Paul will return to Congress. Will he make a bid for president again in 2012? Do the inhabitants of Azeroth still love him? Only time will tell.

Peter Myers: We don't have the exact figures, but we know that the Green Party candidate received less than 5% of the vote.

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Re: Congressional Races: Being a Video Game Critic Doesn't Hurt

Dang, the pollsters had Mark Begich as a mortal lock over Stevens.  Missing one race out of thirty-some isn't too bad, tho.

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The Mammon Industry

Re: Congressional Races: Being a Video Game Critic Doesn't Hurt

Poor Fred Upton.

Re: Congressional Races: Being a Video Game Critic Doesn't Hurt

Agreed. He needs to sue JT for harassing him.

Oh, wait...

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"Game on, brothers and sisters." -Leet Gamer Jargon

Re: Congressional Races: Being a Video Game Critic Doesn't Hurt

Oh well we can't win them all. Anyway, one could assume the next leader of the red team would Palin given it is highly unlikely McCain would run again and it appears the Bush family is toast politically. Then there is the Paul question... - That should make for an interesting primary cycle.

On the blue team side if Obama follows up on his statement not to run again with Biden being as old as he is, it would look like Hillary would be the top dog. So we would in theory have two feisty chicks win long nails and attitudes going at it full tilt next time - It should a real cat fight in every sense of the word...  

 

 

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"The most difficult pain a man can suffer is to have knowledge of much and power over little" - Herodotus

Re: Congressional Races: Being a Video Game Critic Doesn't Hurt

This article is not 100% accurate, Ron Paul in Texas has never voted for, crafted or sponsored any legislation towards video games.  

Please update it with accuracy, the fact that he was re-elected and not challenged in his district is symbolism of his message which is supported by democrats and republicans alike.

Re: Congressional Races: Being a Video Game Critic Doesn't Hurt

There are bigger issues than game,s and it's not liek any of the legistlation was nor will it ever be successful.

Re: Congressional Races: Being a Video Game Critic Doesn't Hurt

There are definitly bigger things then video games to worry about, but that doesn't mean that the idiots...I mean politicans still won't try to get them banned and such.


Re: Congressional Races: Being a Video Game Critic Doesn't Hurt

Dennis, She wasn't a Congressional candidate, but NC State Senator/Party Girl Julia Boseman was re-elected with 52% of the vote.

GamePolitics ShoutBox

Posted 02/09/10 at 03:51pm
DarkSaber: I think he just goes round the internet copy+pasting the same bollocks to get attention.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:41pm
Valdearg: @DS: I have to admit, I chuckled when I saw the 4 Feb 2010 on that post.. >.<
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:31pm
DarkSaber: Hm, Bioshock. Not that Zippy likes to beat the dead horse by ranting about it for TWO $&%£ING YEARS!
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:30pm
DarkSaber: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.173063-Bioshock-yet-another-zippy-rant
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:26pm
Valdearg: @DS: Link!! LINK!
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:20pm
DarkSaber: Although, unsurprisingly, he's just being called an idiot alot and criticised for being as illegible as always.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:18pm
DarkSaber: Oh good lord, I just found Zippy on The Escapist.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:14pm
Valdearg: IE: Male body/Female Mind or Female Body/Male Mind.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:13pm
Valdearg: @Zip: TG == Transgendered/Transsexual.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:09pm
DarkSaber: Forget it Zippy, it's an abbreviation of a big word and so would be wasted on you
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:07pm
ZippyDSMlee: Vlag:....TG?
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:02pm
Valdearg: @DS: Im sure that's what they'd do if it wasn't legal to just tell Gays/TG's to "Screw off," just because they're who they are.
Posted 02/09/10 at 02:50pm
DarkSaber: Whoever told him/her/it that is dumb. They should have done like most companies and made-up some bullshit, yet legal, reason for it not getting the job.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:18pm
Valdearg: I do agree that it shouldn't be legal. That's for sure.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:16pm
Andrew Eisen: Shouldn't be. Spirit of anti-discrimination laws would seem to include sexual orientation (and eye color). Plus there's always equal protection and such. Never know until you try.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:14pm
Valdearg: @AE: Doubtful. Again, it's perfectly legal.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:10pm
Andrew Eisen: Should have sued (unless that wasn't an option given her financial situation or something). Might have won.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:00pm
Valdearg: Story about a Male to Female TG who was expressly told she wouldn't be given a job because she was TG. Its not the main point of the story, but explicit, perfectly legal discrimination like this exists.
Posted 02/09/10 at 12:53pm
Valdearg: Lol, I don't know. It may very well be legal to do so. Though that might able to fall under the "race" restriction, depending on how that point is argued.
Posted 02/09/10 at 12:51pm
Valdearg: I don't think they do have any legal recourse. I'll have to dig around, but I seriously believe that if the law doesn't specifically mention Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity, they can still be discriminated against in those 29 states.
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