Run for Governor? GOP Again Told, "No Thanks" (WA Gov. Race)

Seattle Times ^ | 12 August 2003 | Andrew Garber

[Publius]

I know Rob McKenna, and I've worked with him to win over disaffected moderate Democrats to the GOP. He'd make a fine governor, but we really need him as Attorney General to clean up decades of political corruption tied to a one-party state.

Dino Rossi's colleagues in the Senate like him but aren't sure he's ready for prime time. He's young enough that he would make a more credible candidate in 2008 or later.

The situation isn't at all hopeless, but Christine Gregoire's fundraising skills are scaring good Republicans away.

[Publius]

Ping.

[Chad Fairbanks]

We need a candidate - espcially one who will have an organized campaign, and a steady message... We havn't had that in some time...

[.cnI redruM]

Vance needs to take the guy who's willing to run and build him up.

[B Knotts]

What's Linda Smith doing these days?

[copaliscrossing]

I was listening to John Carlson last night and he thought Dale Foreman was the best candidate to run for the Pubbies. I was actually thinking that quite awhile ago and my ears perked up when John mentioned it on his radio show.

[lilylangtree]

Present RAT governor modeled WA after CA and ruined the state because the RAT governor, previous all-RAT Legislature refused to cut spending. The state ended up with a $1 billion deficit. In January the RAT governor, the House-controlled RATS and the Senate-controlled Pubs negotiated behind closed doors and raised taxes giving the WA taxpayers a $23 billion budget after starting the year with $21 billion revenues and $22 billion expenses. No cuts were made to spending yet again. The atrocity is the public relations campaign going in the state saying that the RAT governor and the whole legislature didn't raise taxes. What an affront to the taxpayers! We were betrayed! Good thing that Locke, the gov, isn't running again. Fully expect to hear after Nov 2004 that he got a job with an MNC headquarted in China so he and wife can be where their roots are. Now the Pubs can't find a candidate that will be acceptable to the west side which is most populated, most wealthy, and most liberal left RATS in the state. Still hope that Boeing doesn't give Seattle the contract for the new plane. Maybe the RATS will scatter to parts unknown reducing their control of the state.

[Dog Gone]

What's Jessica Lynch doing these days?

[Eala]

Dale Foreman's name has come up a few times. I'd like to see Dino Rossi run though...

[B Knotts]

What's Jessica Lynch doing these days?

???

We're talking about Washington State, no? I was just thinking that former Rep. Linda Smith has some decent name ID, and maybe could be a credible candidate.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Sometimes Chris Vance disappoints me - Rossi or Foreman would be good, but Vance better get on teh stick...

[B Knotts]

The other nice thing about Linda Smith is that she is from Western Washington, but not from the Sound area. Kind of a compromise between East and West.

[copaliscrossing]

Yes, Dino Rossi is definitely the guy we want in the "what have you done for me lately" department. It would be an interesting Primary with Dino Rossi and Dale Foreman running against each other.

[Dog Gone]

The California recall has me thinking of all sorts of new candidates.

I don't know that much about Washington politics, except that it's a challenge for any Republican to carry a statewide office.

[Snardius]

The other nice thing about Linda Smith...

A Linda Smith candidacy insures a Gregoire win for governor. She'd be a senator were it not for pi**ing off nearly every R on the west side.

I greatly fear the R's in my beloved state are going to screw this up again and we'll get another screaming lefty female governor. Where's Dixie Lee Ray when we really need her?

[B Knotts]

Linda Smith is pretty much a mainstream conservative, pro-life, pro-business, but not on the fringe. She doesn't always see eye-to-eye with the GOP, though, as she was against NAFTA, and favored campaign finance reform. She served two terms as U.S. Representative from the third district (where my company is located, although I live in Oregon).

There are more conservative candidates out there, I'm sure, but I think Linda would at least stand a chance at getting elected.

But, then again, I could be wrong.

[Publius]

The last I heard of Linda Smith was that she had gone to India to do missionary work. It's not full-time, but something she does for part of the year.

[B Knotts]

She'd be a senator were it not for pi**ing off nearly every R on the west side.

Are you talking about her opposition to NAFTA? Or something else? I'm just throwing ideas out there; I'm not saying she is the be all, end all.

I do think she could appeal to some more conservative Democrats, though. And she wouldn't be negotiating trade deals, so I figure, what the heck.

[Snardius]

What I'm saying is she ran against Murray and should have beaten her except she ran a lousy campaign and angered most of her support on the right. It would be easy for Gregoire to paint Linda as a "far-right extremist" and coast to a win. The R's in WA need a moderate Repub with name ID and they haven't been able to find one.

[B Knotts]

Hmmm...well, you may be right. I didn't really think of her as "far right," but the pro-life position might be enough, I guess. Pretty sad, though.