Kyl Wins Minority Whip

December 27, 2007

In a move that had online gambling enthusiasts screaming, U.S. Republican Jon Kyl won an uncontested party election to gain control of the Minority Whip position. The position move is bad news for online gambling supporters as he is known as an ardent opposer of the online gambling movement.

This move will put him from the number three spot in the Senate to a position that no matter how you look at it is not good for online gambling. He will now have the coveted position of counting votes and enforcing party discipline and with an election coming up this will not bode well.

As Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi is resigning at the end of the year, Kyl will take over his position. The 65 year old man will likely continue his work at opposing online gambling; only now he is in a much more powerful position.

Kyl has done his time in the Senate, serving first in 1994, the being re-elected in both 2000 and 2006. He has also served four terms in the House, so he is well versed on both politics in both branches of the government.

Kyl has admitted that his new position will enable him to put legislation that is important to the state of Arizona higher on the agenda that the Senate sets and online gambling supporters can only assume that he will use his position to enforce online gambling bans instead of working toward getting the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act overturned.

Kyl says that he will follow the lead of Mitch McConnell, as the leader of Kentucky, and that he will work as hard as his predecessor to get things done this session and next. Kyl�s old position as head of the Republican Conference will be taken over by Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander after a battle with North Carolina Senator Richard Burr.

 

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