(from 2+2) i'm in colorado, tell me who to vote for!
In the CO Senate race, Democrat Mark Udall is running against Republican Bob Schaffer. Udall voted for HR 4411 (the bill that became UIGEA) while in the House, but voted against earlier bills (see the Wikipedia quote at the end of this post for more info).
An article in About.com has a different take. Perhaps it doesn't reflect his HR 4411 vote. It's at http://usliberals.about.com/od/senatecandidatesin2008/p/MarkUdall.htm .
Mark Udall on Other Issues:
Rep. Mark Udall consistently supports civil rights protections, and believes in minimal government intrusion in Americans' personal lives, including abortion, gay marriage and other gay rights, legalization of marijuana, and even internet gambling. Udall is rated as having a 100% pro-peace record by the Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE).
Udall is an avid supporter of public education, and of the need for affordable, accessible health care for all Americans. He's voted for most, but not all, U.S. free trade agreements, although he also voted to assist workers who lose jobs due to globalization.
He does praise the impact of gaming on his county on his own site, at http://markudall.house.gov/HoR/CO02/The+2nd+District/Gilpin+County.htm :
Named after William Gilpin, Colorado’s first Territorial Governor, Gilpin County is located entirely in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Considering it only encompasses 150 square miles, Gilpin holds a remarkable wealth of Colorado’s wonderful attractions, including portions of the James peak area, Golden Gate State Park and Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest; nearly 52% of Gilpin County is either a state or national forest. The county has played host to several of Colorado’s booms, including mining during the mid to late 1800s and, more recently, legalized gambling. Since the inception of limited stakes gambling in 1991, the cities of Black Hawk and Central city have become bustling tourist destinations. Gilpin County’s population hovers around 4000 and has elevations ranging from 6,900 to 13,294 feet.
From Wikipedia:
In 2000 and 2002, Udall received money from Preston Gates, a national law firm with which Jack Abramoff was affiliated, before votes on bills to limit internet gambling, both of which Udall voted against. In 2006, after Abramoff had been jailed for corruption and was no longer donating to Udall, Udall then voted for a similar bill. There is no indication that Udall's votes were related to the contributions he had received from Preston Gates, and Udall never received any donations from Abramoff himself. Dick Wadhams, the Chair of the Colorado Republican Party, stated that Preston Gates "was just another law firm at that time, like hundreds of others."
There are accusations of Bob Schaffer working with Abramoff as well, at http://squarestate.net/diary/5984/the-full-abramoff-monty-and-bob-schaffers-involvement .
Bob Schaffer voted "no" on a bill similar to HR 4411 in 2000. Udall voted "no" as well.
So, from what I was able to determine, it seems they're roughly equivalent.