I know James - standup guy and VERY impressive Conservative and money manager. I forget the details (on his website), but was President of a bank in Alaska in his young 20’s. Worked at the Treasury and cut lots of money there, then went into computers, etc. Good, standup guy. Here is his press release:
Watkins Wins State Auditor Primary!
Post Primary Statement and Video
August 9 - Following gracious concession messages from State Senator Craig Pridemore and State Representative Mark Miloscia, this morning the Watkins for Auditor campaign released the following statement (and debate invitation), and video from James. The statement is below. The video can be viewed at http://watkinsforauditor.com/video-and-print/post-primary-statement-and-debate-invitation
The preliminary results are in, and it looks like I’ll face State Representative Troy Kelley in the general election for Washington State Auditor.
During the primary campaign, I had a chance to get to know and appreciate State Senator Pridemore and State Representative Miloscia. I’d like to thank them for their public service and for running good, clean campaigns. I hope they’ll continue to serve the citizens of Washington State.
To the hundreds of thousands of voters from across the state who made me the top vote getter and trust me to be their watchdog in Olympia – thank you. I’ll do my best to honor your vote and will work to make our government more accountable, more effective, and more efficient. I will be your watchdog in Olympia. If you didn’t vote for me in the primary, I hope to earn your vote in November.
As we move to the general, the central question of this election is clear – will Washington build on the legacy of Brian Sonntag and retain an independent state auditor’s office or will we turn the office into another Olympia-based political shop?
The new state auditor will help drive reform – or block it. He will champion open government – or protect government from oversight. He will work for the taxpayers – or work for the government.
As candidates in the primary, State Representative Kelley and I ran very different races. I like Troy – but he ran an incredibly cynical race, spending a record amount to fool voters into thinking Brian Sonntag endorsed him as state auditor. In print, the voter’s guide, on-line, and on television, Troy used a two year old endorsement for a different office as if it were current - and was called out for it by the Tacoma News Tribune, Seattle Times, the Spokane Spokesman-Review and Brian Sonntag himself.
I chose to focus on my 23 years of experience and the real issues facing Washington State and the auditor’s office – and earned a convincing primary win, mainstream endorsements from all the major newspapers that endorsed, and bi-partisan endorsements from Democrats and Republicans across the state.
In the primary, State Representative Kelley hid behind misleading advertising instead of engaging in real debate about the role of the auditor’s office, his background, and his qualifications. I hope he’ll reconsider in the general election. Today, I’d like to formally invite Troy to appear with me in a series of debates across Washington State – from his adopted hometown of Tacoma to my hometown in King County. From Spokane, the Tri-Cities, Yakima, and Wenatchee to Aberdeen - voters deserve an open and transparent election. They deserve to know their candidates’ real backgrounds and exactly where their candidates stand.
In conclusion, although times change, many things stay the same. The last time Washingtonians hired a sitting legislator to be their state auditor, he used the auditor’s office to push policies he couldn’t pass as a legislator. He successfully pushed for higher taxes and more tax collectors. Four years later, he lost the office in a landslide. That was in 1897. Washingtonians haven’t made that same mistake in 115 years – and I don’t think we’re going to make that mistake in 2012.
As I’ve said for months, the state auditor’s race isn’t glamorous, it’s not sexy, and it shouldn’t be partisan. It’s about hiring a professional to do a very necessary job. Washington’s taxpayers demand an independent, non-partisan, and professional state auditor – and state auditor’s office. I intend to see they get both.
Thanks again for your support.
That is an excellent campaign line to use in a democrat state, the technocrat route.
But I will say thank God it's a partisan race. Several states including WA have their Schools Superintendent as an elected non-partisan position with no parties on the ballot. All of them are union rats AFAIK. They cannot be given the cover of running as "non-partisan".