Report: ESA Preparing Industry Political Action Committee

According to a new report, the Electronic Software Association (ESA) will soon launch its own political action committee set to donate money to industry-friendly politicians, and bolster its Video Game Voters network for further Washington action. Speaking to the New York Times, new ESA chief and former Bush administration advisor Michael Gallagher said the PAC plans to be running by March and "writing checks to campaigns by the end of this quarter." "This is an important step in the political maturation process of the industry that we are ready to take now," Gallagher told the Times. "This is about identifying and supporting champions for the game industry on Capitol Hill so that they support us." Gallagher also added that the ESA plans to better utilize the Video Game Voters Network it founded in 2006 to ensure industry positions are better heard in Washington. Said Gallagher, "If I can walk into the office of a member of Congress and tell them we have 20,000 voters in their state who are already signed up to write letters and act based on game-related issues that concern them, that’s powerful."