[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?

[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.

[Eala]

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

[RetiredArmy]

The leftist in our People's Republic of Washington state do not care about the harm happening to the state. Just tax more and all will be fine. Raise this tax, raise that tax, raise the tax on gas, smokes, booze, car purchases, property, schools, roads, bus, ferry, air port, boats, fishing, hunting, Boeing, small business owners, lumber companies, fishing companies, all business in the state, and tax in more for their social welfare give away schemes. They purchase votes, give away the state, and do not care as long as they are in power. That is all it is about, power. Being in control. In charge, so that they can raise all these taxes.

[Billthedrill]

I see what you're implying, but no, I'm not running. I tried, Lord knows I tried. We focus-grouped the Porn Passes for the Elderly program, no dice. The state-funded ammunition subsidy was a bust. The body piercing surtax was out. Ditto the Forced Euthanasia For Anybody Who Ever Voted For Jim McDermott program. And don't even get me started about expanding the hunting season for things that crap all over the place like seagulls, large dogs, Canadian geese, and vacuum-headed NPR-listening Puget Sound liberals. It's a no-go.

For me to be drawn into this one I want POWER, buckaroo. We're talking National Guard bayonets next time the street puppets show their ugly papier-mache faces. Attack dogs on mimes. And we're gonna send the entire faculty of Evergreen College to Military School!

"Vote for BtD - When You Need A Gauleiter, Not A Governor!"

[CyberCowboy777]

ping

[CyberCowboy777]

Alright alright I'll run!

[Eva]

I've mentioned before, I know a man who was a corporate planner for a fortune 500 company (one of the big oil companies) and a president of one of the divisions of that company. He ran the campaign for the winning Republican state senator from Whatcom Co. He's so bright and just what this state needs.

[Scott from the Left Coast]

I actually had a lobbyist friend of mine today tell that he's seen the RATS polling figures (legislative leadership members he knows talk...hell, all legislators love to talk). The RATS numbers tell them that their biggest danger is for a well-known female R to get in the field (Dunn? Well, she's out, but there you go), that may bring enough moderate female votes in the primary over to the R side to allow Sims to defeat Gregoire in the primary. That is the RATS nightmare scenario. Other than that happening, Rossi appears to be polling the best among R's, but not enough to be a danger.

Gregoire is hurt by the well-publicized mis-management (the failure to file that big case on time gave her lots of negative publicity), but not enough to put any R over the top in the general election, so unless the R's can put someone in the primary to pull female votes, she should pull it off against Sims. The RATS think the worst that can happen to them with Gregoire in the general election is a narrow 52-48 type victory, instead of the 60-40 wins they've been getting lately. However, Sims can be beat even by Rossi (if all the stars align properly), their polling shows. This would require some good economic news for Bush and probably the killing of Sadaam or Osama, creating a Bush tidal wave -- not out of the question -- which held down RAT turnout in the west.

Best bet for the R's is to find a woman with a name and get her into the primary to pull votes from Gregoire...and thus get Sims as the D candidate. Other than that, it'll probably be close but no cigar.

[ppaul]

Rossi said he may decide by the end of September.

In September?
LOL!
Why then bother to waste one dime on the race?
He'll lose.
Everyone knows it.
Better to spend money on local races with at least a "snowball's chance in hell" of winning", wouldn't you say?