If I Were Governor…

The Des Moines Register has reports on what several of the candidates for governor have to say about the TouchPlay ban. They interviewed the top three Democratic candidates and Nussle, the presumptive Republican nominee.

Two Democratic candidates, Mike Blouin and Ed Fallon, both say that they support the ban. Fallon, a State Rep., voted in favor of the ban on Tuesday. Blouin, however, cautions that Iowa may be held liable if the companies that have already invested an estimated $130 million in the machines decide to take legal action.

“It was a mistake to move into these. It’s a mistake to move out of them until we know what the financial consequences are for the state of Iowa,” Blouin told reporters. “We have some exposure here, and folks are kind of ignoring that issue. Do we get out of them? You bet. But we get out of it with knowledge as to what our responsibilities and liabilities are.”

Chet Culver, another Democrat, has taken a different stance. He says that that he would not sign the bill banning TouchPlay machines in Iowa, citing concern over the possibleimpact of the ban on small businesses . This makes him the only Democratic candidate who does not support the ban. He appears to be distancing himself from Gov. Vilsak, who says he will sign the bill.
The Register reports that Jim Nussle supports the TouchPlay ban.

3 comments March 17th, 2006