The Poker Players Alliance has caught fire in recent months. Heading into 2008, its membership stands at a shade under 900,000. That means the equivalent of one in every 300 Americans is a PPA member. Not bad for a lobbying group that is still unpacking boxes in the nation’s capital. In case you’ve hid under a rock lately, 2008 is an election year. That means an emphasis on elections and, with caucuses already underway, the PPA has developed a targeted strategy for the New Year. As many were still cleaning up from ringing in 2008, PPA Executive Director John Pappas was already hard at work.

The PPA unveiled a plan to expand and promote itself on the local level in 2008. Back in August, the organization pushed for its members to become August Advocates, which meant contacting Congressmen when they returned to their home districts and serving as a point of contact for local media. Expect to see a push towards a more dominant local presence. Pappas explains, “We’ll be reinvigorating our State Directors program very soon by reaching out to our 875,000 members and seeing who wants to be more active at the state level. We’ll have a more sophisticated and robust plan for them to be active and the PPA will be more visible.”

There are currently 30 state directors spread out over the country working on a local level. However, more is needed, especially for an organization approaching one million members: “We’re not expecting them to work blindly or on their own. The PPA will be giving them strategic guidance on initiatives they can undertake, such as recruitment of new members for 2008. This could involve reaching out to places where poker players gather like local card rooms, casinos, or poker games. We’ll also be using them as spokespeople with local media on behalf of the PPA, whether it’s writing letters to the editor or serving as an interviewee. We’ll also use them to organize meetings in their Congressmen’s district offices. We’d like to have representation in every state.” A PPA staffer will serve as a point of contact for every State Director.

Pappas’ ideal candidate would be someone who is passionate about the game of poker and, at the same time, has a political background and understands the political process. The State Directors won’t just be doing all the hard work while the PPA takes all the credit. Pappas notes, “We’ll be making sure they’re recognized.”

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Author Contact Info: Dan Cypra, PocketFives