Rossi Campaign Cautiously Optimistic As Voter Count Continues

As of 11:57 PM, the Washington Secretary of State was reporting on its website Election Day results showing incumbent Senator Patty Murray leading challenger Dino Rossi by a razor slim margin of only 14,005 votes out of 1,430,787 counted.  At the end of the first day of counting, Murray has a lead of 50.49% to Rossi's 49.51%.  However, Rossi For Senate Campaign Manager Pat Shortridge issued a statement by Email late last night outlining some points that should have the Murray campaign sweating bullets:

• Historically in Washington, the Republican candidates improve their percentages in each county in votes counted after Election Day, usually improving their margins by 2 to 3 percentage points.

• King County, which is providing most of Sen. Murray’s margin, accounts for 30.7% of all registered voters in the state. According to County Election reports, King County only has 26.7% of the remaining ballots left to count. The rest of the state, where Rossi has a comfortable lead, will count proportionately more ballots post-Election Day.

• Spokane County, where Rossi is currently in the lead by more than 50%, still has at least 21.6% of the remaining ballots left to process, with more coming in.

• Rossi is currently leading in Pierce County by nearly 2,500 votes

• According to the Secretary of State, there are still over 508,000 estimated ballots left to process statewide.

• Again, we will know more over the next several days as ballots continue to come in and counties continue to count. We are confident that the margins we are seeing throughout Washington State, combined with the state legislative victories, will put Dino Rossi ahead by an overwhelming margin.

This election is not like previous statewide races that Rossi has run.  It is a midterm, off-Presidential cycle election.  These usually favor Republicans, that traditionally exhibit more faithful voting habits.  In addition, a Republican tidal wave is sweeping the nation, with Republicans gaining a solid majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Turnout in more conservative Washington districts is running above normal this year.  This trend is elevating Republican Party hopes, as Washington is poised to send a Republican majority of its Congressional Representatives back to D.C. come January.  Five of Washington's nine Congressional seats appear to be in Republican hands:

• District 2 John Koster is leading his opponent 50.41% to 49.59%.  This is a Republican "gain".
• District 3 Jaime Herrara is leading her opponent 52.92% to 47.08%.  This is a Republican "gain".
• District 4 Doc Hastings is leading his opponent 68.31% to 31.69%.  This is a Republican "hold".
• District 5 Cathy McMorris Rodgers is leading her opponent 64.51% to 35.49%.  This is a Republican "hold".
• District 8 Congressman Dave Reichert is leading his opponent 55% to 45%, this is a Republican "hold".

Republican gains in west-side Congressional Districts are exceeding local Party expectations.  In addition, a number of voter initiatives regarding taxes have shown a conservative voting streak.  An initiative for a state income tax has gone down in flames, while another requiring a 2/3 majority of the state legislature to raise taxes appears to be passing.  In addition, a rollback of Democratic Party approved taxes on food and bottled water appeared to be passing as well.
While the race is still too close to call, it looks like we may be calling Dino Rossi our Senator very soon.

***
Cross-posted to BLOGSUNNYSIDE.COM

Dino Rossi Rocks Silverdale

by Johnny Walker

@KingstonJW on Twitter

“Who here wants to remove Patty Murray’s tennis shoes from Washington?” The packed house roared. Classic. It was a perfect Dino Rossi moment at the Community Center in Silverdale yesterday, as Rossi supporters came together for a final dash rally in the last week of their campaign. Tightly packed into an A-frame conference room, you would never have guessed that the race to unseat incumbent Patty Murray (D) was so dangerously close.

After a short but lively introduction by Representative Jan Angle of the Washington 26^th Legislative District, Rossi charged the crowd with well timed and familiar talking points designed to keep his team passionately involved to the finish line.

Rossi championed a theme that “when government grows, your freedoms decrease,” and pounded incumbent Murray for her unapologetic authorship of massive new health care laws that are increasing costs and eroding the relationship between doctors and patients; reducing both choice and quality of services. He countered liberal rhetoric that Republicans were a “party of no” by emphasizing tax-free ways to improve health care. He cited that tort reform, competition across state lines, health care accounts, and volume bargaining by small business as ways to vastly improve healthcare without any increase of taxes.

Rossi focused on jobs, detailing his own expertise and what he has learned from business on the campaign trail. “Small business wants a modest tax, fair and predictable regulation, and then let lose to pursue the American dream,” he said. Government shouldn’t punish small businesses for being successful, but instead should enable them “so they can do it again and again and again!”

In closing remarks, Rossi left the charged crowd with two key messages. “The moral issue of the campaign” he defined as a political class that has borrowed, spent, and handed the bill off to their children. He wants to stop that. And his “final pledge” to supporters; “with your help November 2^nd, when I become your next United States Senator, I am actually going to represent Washington State and not Washington D.C.”

Some observers might have found the rally predictable, but the undercurrent in the room was a story in itself. Folks were impressively undeterred by recent polls benefitting Patty Murray after local visits by Democratic power brokers. In a matter of days, Murray held campaign events with President Obama, Michelle Obama, Vice President Biden, and prior President Clinton. “How does that happen?” said one supporter. Another spoke with cautious optimism, “we have a week to go.” It was pretty clear leaving the event that the “hoots and hollers” to carry Dino signs was not an admission of anything about the future, except for success.

In the final week of this significant election year, I trust that you all are doing your part to support the candidates of your choice. I’ve written an article on phone banking that shows how easy it is to do, and sign waving is another easy way to help and have fun at the same time. But most of all, in the final days, remember to vote and encourage the vote. This is what will ultimately prevail.

Know your candidates and issues. Vote Smart. November is almost here.

Photos top to bottom; author Johnny Walker, Dino Rossi addresses supporters in Silverdale, Rep Jan Angel introduced event, enthused Dino supporter Jo Nelson

The case for unity.

I voted for Clint Didier. He was a breath of fresh air. Someone with strong principals and an unyielding commitment to voicing them whenever anyone would listen. I like that, I respect that, and I also realized that you can’t win a statewide election in this state, at least not this year, by doing that.

Still, he got every vote in our household (including the pets, after all this is King County) because I want more people like him running, gaining name recognition, and positioning themselves for future campaigns. We knew that he had no chance to beat the "Mom in Worn Out Tennis Shoes" but this was the time to cast our "protest vote".

Now every hand (and paw) in our home is poised to vote for Dino Rossi this November. It has been a decade since a conservative in this state has had a very real chance to win a Senate race and we are not going to look back on this election with regret because we were not smart enough to do the right thing.

By nature conservatives put logic ahead of emotion. They do what needs to be done even if their heart wishes that they didn’t have to. This is called leadership. It is like the Sci-Fi movie where someone has to stuff the glove to their space suit into the hole in order to save the space ship. They know they are giving up their life but they are saving many more. As Spock put it, “The needs of the many, outweigh, the needs of the few, or the one”.

Right now our country desperately needs to reverse course. We have to shove Patty into the hole in the space ship so it can survive to win the battle with the evil alien dictator in 2012. That means we have to be smart. No matter what we are better off sending someone to D.C. that may not be what we emotionally want, but we logically need.

According to last month’s PPP poll 91% of Democrats in this state are going to vote for Patty Murray. Does that mean that 91% of Democrats like her? Of course not.
The latest Rasmussen poll shows:

• Only 12% of the people in this state are not angry with the current policies in of the Federal Government.
• Just 28% think our representatives in Congress are the best person for the job.
• Only 40% feel that their local representatives in Congress deserve to be re-elected.

So clearly most Democrats can’t stand Murray either but are voting for her because she is the only option they have.

In this state about 30% of the voters are “independent” and Rossi has a solid lead in that area. So what is going to make the difference in this election? Republicans. That same PPP poll shows that only 88% of the Republicans were committed to voting for Rossi. So while most of the polls show this as a dead heat it is a race that is in our hands, under our control, and we can win it and win it decisively not by convincing Democrats to jump ship, or away Independents into voting for Dino, but by simply understanding the simple logic that if you are a Republican you need to step up and do the right thing and leave your emotions at home.

Your “protest vote” was cast in the primary, but come General election anything but a Rossi vote is a vote for Murray, and to continue the course of the Obama agenda.
So for the first time in 10 years the race will be won or lost by how intelligent Republicans are. Some call Dino a RINO, but I contend the real RINO’s are anyone that isn’t smart enough to realize that a vote that isn’t for Rossi is a vote for Murray. Don’t look back on this opportunity with regret. In 2 years Clint Didier can run against Cantwell, or someone else may step up to replace her, but that election will be easier to win if we fire Patty in November.

So join me now in voting for Dino Rossi. He may not be the first choice, but he is the ONLY choice.

Rossi Ready To Grill Patty Murray

U.S. Senate candidate Dino Rossi recently challenged 18-year incumbent Patty Murray to a series of debates. Murray responded to the Rossi campaign by offering to debate only two times, and only in late October, just prior to the election.

Rossi has suggested that they have a total of six debates, to cover all the major media markets in Washington, with an additional debate in Seattle and also on national TV. Murray is refusing to go around the state to discuss issues with Rossi, despite this being the fourth time she is running a Senate race.

This Patty Is Done

Putting Patty Murray on a stage with Dino Rossi is probably the last thing her campaign wants to do. They know that Patty will be cooked, if she has to actually think about what she is saying without consultants providing a script for her.

In a letter of response to Murray, Dino Rossi's Campaign Manager Pat Shortridge states:

I can understand the Senator’s reluctance to debate, given her record over the past several years on spending, taxing, and failing to get the economy growing; but I think she owes it to the people of Washington to come out from behind the consultants and negative ads, throw away the usual playbook of agreeing to 2 debates in late October, and instead, engage Dino and the voters.

After all, Senator Murray is an 18-year incumbent. She’s a senior member of the Senate Democrat Leadership. This is her fourth time running in a US Senate race. This is still a blue state that went overwhelmingly for President Obama. Yet, she can’t – or won’t - go before the voters and make the case for the votes she’s cast, discuss what she views as her accomplishments, and lay out her ideas for solving the problems we face more than twice? That seems to be quite a personal repudiation of her own record.

Shortridge concluded his letter by reiterating that Rossi is willing to be flexible on times, locations, and other challenges the Senator may have relative to the Senate schedule.

Related Articles

• Rossi Proposes 6 Debates With Murray (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Murray: Just two debates with Rossi (seattlepi.com)

Didier Favors Impregnation By Rape

Didier Speaking at a Tea Party Event in Yakima, July 2010

As recently as May 28th, Clint Didier was touting how he was a team player, and would support whoever faced off with Patty Murray this November.  This is what he said on the David Boze radio show:

"If it is Patty Murray and whoever - it's whoever. Vote against Patty Murray. And we gotta stimulate this movement in the state of Washington that whoever comes out of that primary we gotta get behind. And believe me, if it's not me, whoever it is, I'm gonna get behind them. I'm gonna work as hard for them as I did for me. Because it's not about me. It's about our kids, our grandkids, and assuring they have that same shot at the American Dream. It's about America."

Following the primary election however, Didier reversed course and refused to endorse Dino Rossi, who will face off with Murray.  Didier instead drew up a list of demands for Rossi to sign, before giving an endorsement.  These demands include having Rossi sign a pro-life pledge, and promising to vote against increased spending and taxes.

Nevermind that these are things that Rossi has stood for all along.  In fact, he has a legislative voting record of balancing the state budget, and holding the line on taxes.  He introduced legislation to protect the unborn while in the state senate, and is a Roman-Catholic.  Rossi is on record as having said that abortion is morally wrong.

Near the end of the primary campaign, Didier attempted to smear Rossi as pro-abortion.  His evidence for this consisted of one vote Rossi took in the state senate.  The vote was to allow women who are victims of rape, to take the morning-after pill.  By opposing this, are we to assume that Didier is in favor of impregnating women by rape?  If we follow the logic of the Didier campaign, this is the case.

Rossi might make exceptions for women who are victims of rape and incest.  Didier is making clear he favors impregnation by these methods.  I would expect better of a farmer from eastern Washington.

Rossi is a bona-fide fiscal conservative.  He has signed the Tea Party backed "Contract From America."  He has a voting record in the state senate that showcases his philosophy.  In addition, his two statewide campaigns for governor have gotten voters acquainted with him.  Now that he is the top dog for the U.S. Senate race, Didier is showing us how much of a sore-loser he is.

Didier is also showing how dishonest he is, not only in trying to paint Rossi as a tax and spend politician, or questioning his pro-life beliefs, but also breaking his own promise to support the Republican facing Patty Murray in November.

As a person who is pro-life, I would rather have Dino Rossi in the Senate, than Patty Murray.  What's wrong with you, Clint Didier?

References:

Palousitics: Didier: "Whoever it is (who wins the primary), I'm gonna get behind them"

NWDigest.com: Fuiten: Dino Rossi IS Pro-Life

Red County: The President, Patty and the Primary

Rossi Challenges Murray To Debate

Dino Rossi speaking at the 2010 Washington State Republican Party Convention

Dino Rossi is challenging Patty Murray to a series of debates to be held in Washington in the weeks leading up to the November general election.  This is according to a letter that Dino Rossi sent to Senator Patty Murray:

Dear Sen. Murray:

The U.S. Senate race is one of the most important elections in the State of Washington in 2010.  Given the importance of this election, and the desire for voters to make an informed decision this fall, I propose we hold five debates in Washington State, in addition to one nationally televised debate.  I further propose we hold one debate in each media market hosted by local civic organizations, with two debates in the Seattle area. 

The five debates in Washington State would be Lincoln-Douglas style, in which we would be allotted equal time to make opening statements, ask questions of each other, introduce new ideas, or defend policy positions.  A timekeeper would ensure each side adheres to time limits which are mutually agreed upon.

This is an opportunity for us to question each other on various policy positions in a manner which allows the public, not the press or interest groups, to dictate the issues covered. 

In order to ensure the maximum number of voters see the debates so they are able to make an informed decision, we should invite television stations in each market to broadcast the debates.  Additionally, as there is limited time before general election ballots are mailed, I propose that we hold one debate a week beginning the week of September 6, 2010.

 Will Patty Murray accept the challenge?  Stay tuned...

Didier: "Whoever it is (who wins the primary), I'm gonna get behind them"

Now that their guy lost Tuesday's Primary to Dino Rossi and Patty Murray, some Clint Didier supporters are acting as if they want to take their ball and go home and not let anyone else play! Clint himself gave a very "poor loser" message Tuesday night on KTTH's election show. I somewhat can understand, as I too would be very emotional after a loss, and things that come out of your mouth before you have a night to sleep on it might sound very different the next day. But I sure wish Clint would have heard Paul Akers on the radio prior that evening. Paul gave a very gracious message about the race and about losing, ending with saying emphatically he was "100% behind Dino Rossi!" 

As Clint is preparing to make an announcement Friday at 3:00 about his campaign and about Rossi, I would like him to listen to what he said on KTTH's David Boze Show on May 28 - two days after Dino Rossi announced his candidacy, bringing the number of candidates to around 17.  Today's David Boze Show replayed that May 28th talk with Clint, and here is what Clint said:

"If it is Patty Murray and whoever - it's whoever. Vote against Patty Murray. And we gotta stimulate this movement in the state of Washington that whoever comes out of that primary we gotta get behind. And believe me, if it's not me, whoever it is, I'm gonna get behind them. I'm gonna work as hard for them as I did for me. Because it's not about me. It's about our kids, our grandkids, and assuring they have that same shot at the American Dream. It's about America."

You can listen for yourself at the 36:00 mark of today's Boze show:
http://icestream.bonn...

Clint, you did an excellent job motivating conservatives over the past eight months. Thank you for all the time and heart you put into your candidacy. You are a patriot for wanting to serve your country! Now it's time to keep to your word while continuing to motivate your supporters. But this time the motivation is to get them to work hard - as hard as they did for you - to help get Dino Rossi elected. After all, it's all about defeating Murray.

OVERlution: Murray 41%, Rossi 33%, Didier 11%, Akers 5%

A KING5/SurveyUSA poll conducted just as Washington voters have "top two" primary ballots in their hands (all but one of 39 counties are vote-by-mail) finds incumbent Patty Murray and Republican challenger Dino Rossi poised to move ahead to the November U.S. Senate general election by wide margins of 41% and 33% respectively .

Self-appointed Tea Party candidate Clint Didier only garners 11% total support, with a mere 24% of those with a favorable opinion of the Tea Party backing Didier, versus 56% for Dino Rossi.  Rossi also leads in Didier's native Eastern Washington by a 35%-21% margin.

Didier's "running mate," Republican Paul Akers only polls 5%.  The "joint campaigning" idea that Didier and Akers announced a couple of weeks ago does not seem to have produced any results, other than, as predicted, splitting the vote between the two men.

Didier's lurch to the far right libertarian policies of Ron Paul has alienated many traditional conservatives in both the Tea Party movement and Eastern Washington who favor free trade, a strong national defense, and victory in the War on Terror.  And Didier's "angry white man" routine has turned off voters, as expected, in more urban Western Washington, where he only receives 8% support.

Efforts by the sham pro-life Washington Life Coalition to smear Rossi as soft on abortion have also failed, with Rossi garnering 52% of the pro-life voter support, versus just 17% for Didier.  Ironically , that is the same amount for strongly pro-choice Patty Murray.

Breaking: Rossi Outraises Murray Last Month

Breaking news from the Associated Press:

Republican Dino Rossi raised nearly double the amount of money that Democratic Sen. Patty Murray did last month, but he still has less in the bank in his effort to oust the three-term incumbent.

New campaign finance reports released by his campaign Thursday afternoon show Rossi raised $573,672 last month, compared to the $293,486 raised by Murray during the same period.

Murray, who is seeking a fourth term in the U.S. Senate, spent about $3.9 million last month, most of it for advertising. Rossi spent about $152,000 in July.

Rossi has about $1.8 million in the bank, compared to Murray's $3.2 million.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to travel to Washington to raise money for Murray on Aug. 17, which is primary election day.

Rossi raised more than $517,000 in individual contributions, and brought in an additional 56,500 through political committees. Murray had only $265,000 in individual donations, and another $37,000 from political committees.

It's probably worth pointing out again that Rossi raised almost as much in one month as his Republican opponents Clint Didier and Paul Akers have during the entire campaign.

Patty Murray Launches Negative Primary Ad

Patty Murray, 18 year Senate veteran, has launched a negative ad against Dino Rossi, even before the primary election has been held.  This is in contrast to Dino Rossi, who launched a positive ad today, calling for change in Washington D.C. that will actually help people in the state of Washington.

US Senate Candidate Dino Rossi

During a press conference today, Dino Rossi said that the functional unemployment rate in Washington is 17.4%.  This number includes those receiving unemployment, people giving up looking for work, as well as underemployed skilled workers that are delivering pizzas.

Rossi said that two out of 10 Washington workers being functionally unemployed is too high.  As he goes around the state, talking with people and business owners, they talk about being worried about making their mortgage payments, and feeding their kids.

He went on to discuss how the healthcare reform is a tax and spending bill, with a little healthcare sprinkled on top.  Murray’s 60th, and deciding vote on this has killed jobs in Washington.

“Even the Chinese government is telling us we are spending too much money” said Rossi.

“We need private sector jobs”, explained Rossi, “instead of more government spending.”

Rossi called for extending all tax cuts enacted under the previous administration, and simplifying the tax code to make it fair and predictable so small businesses can hire more people.

He noted that in Murray’s ad, she is criticizing some of the same legislation that she voted for, such as bailouts of failed businesses.

Rossi said that Murray has not had a private sector job in her adult life, and does not understand entrepreneurs willing to risk it all in order to chase after their dream of making a better life in America.

When asked about energy policy, Rossi responded by saying we need an “all of the above approach”, which includes wind, solar, and even nuclear power in order to achieve energy independence.  He specifically called for continuing to use the vitrification plant at Hanford to turn radioactive sludge into a glass product that can be safely stored at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.  Murray has remained silent on Senator Reid’s attempts to shut that down, until Rossi made it an issue in his campaign.

Dino Rossi’s Ad:




Patty Murray's negative ad attacking Dino Rossi:

Murray Jumps the Shark

Last week, former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Chris Widener tweeted that Clint Didier and Paul Akers had "jumped the shark" with their joint announcement last week to campaign together against the "establishment" conspiracy to ensconce Dino Rossi as the party's nominee.

Now, Patty Murray has also jumped the same shark by resurrecting the moldy old bogeyman of Dubya, DUBYA!, who hasn't run for anything in six years, to go after Dino Rossi in a new TV ad:



And in case you were wondering, Bush Derangement Syndrome is SO 2008. A new poll by Third Way reveals that:

...just 25% of Americans say that the GOP's return to power in Congress will mean a return to those unpopular Bush policies. Fully 65% believe a GOP Congress would promote "a new economic agenda that is different from George W. Bush's policies."

Murray, as usual, missed what the real concerns of Washingtonians are. It's the economy, stupid. And Bush is all you can talk about? Lame.

And allying herself closely with Obama is not not going to help Murray win a fourth term. As Third Way found, just 48% of independent voters think Obama has an economic agenda at all, let alone one that's working.

UPDATE: The Washington State Republican Party in a new press release notes about Murray's new ad:

It's a bizarre attempt to link a challenger to special interests when the bail-out supporting Senator's largest donors, as the Seattle Times reports, are lobbyists.

Patty Murray, in her career has taken over $500,000 from the Securities and Investment industry, and is one of the Top 10 Senators who take contributions from lobbyists according to the Center For Responsive Politics (www.OpenSecrets.org).

Publicola also has more. Patty was for Wall Street bailouts before she was against them.

Coffee Talk With Dino Rossi

Dino Rossi came to Sunnyside, Washington today, and we had a conversation about his campaign at Guerra's Coffee Co. on South First Street.



U.S. Senate Candidate Dino Rossi with Aaron Guerra, owner of Guerra's Coffee Co. in Sunnyside, WA.

I asked Mr. Rossi how small businesses, such as the one in which we were enjoying some refreshing beverages, could benefit by his election to the U.S. Senate:


Rossi responded by saying "I will be one of the few Senators in Washington D.C. that knows what it is like to sign the front side of a paycheck."  He went on to describe his own personal experience that includes starting out at the age of 17 working as a janitor.  He said as a business owner, he knows what it is like to work with no salary, and no benefits.  "If you don't work, you don't eat", said Rossi, about being a small business entrepreneur.

Expressing concerns about the new financial reform bill being passed in Congress, Rossi said it will kill liquidity in banks and financial institutions which provide loans to small businesses.

Rossi pointed out that Patty Murray is proud of the healthcare bill she supported, which will be a $500 billion tax increase, taking money away from small businesses, putting it into government instead, with the I.R.S. being in charge.  The ultimate goal of the program Murray supports is to have a single payer system, which will be run with all the compassion of an I.R.S. agent.  Rossi said that is not the kind of healthcare system he wants, and that most Americans don't want either.

Murray has never had a private sector job in her life, said Rossi.  Since the 1960's, 64% of job growth has come from small businesses, and it is increasingly difficult for them to find loans and investors to fund their growth and expansion.  Rossi said that too many in Washington D.C. have no experience as an entrepreneur, or being a business owner, and that it is unrealistic to expect that solutions to our economic problems will come from them.

When asked about the call from some people to simply vote out all the incumbents, Rossi said we must pay attention to how people in office are actually voting, and that we shouldn't always paint with such a broad brush.  However, he said that "Frankly, both Republicans and Democrats contributed to the out of control spending and growth in government that caused this problem."

He said that for small businesses to succeed, they need low or modest taxation.  They also need stable, predictable, regulation from government.  Acting in opposition to this, is Senator Patty Murray, who Rossi pointed out, has voted for every single spending bill since 2004.

He said that the uncontrolled spending started under Bush, but has continued on steroids under Obama, with the full support of Patty Murray.  "We can not stimulate our way to a good economy.  What part of broke does Murray not understand?", said Rossi.

Rossi raised $1.4 million in one month of campaigning during the last quarter.  Murray raised $1.6 million, but took the entire quarter to do it.  I asked Rossi how competitive he felt his campaign would be, in the context of fundraising.  He said he was fortunate to have so many people contribute to his campaign already, and that he felt confident he would be successful in raising enough to tell his story, and defend himself from attacks.

"Murray has an indefensible record of taxing and spending", he said.  Although he felt confident about raising enough to tell his story, he also felt that his campaign needs to do even more.  Rossi pointed out that he has over 29,000 people who "like" his page on Facebook, and follow updates from this campaign there.  He is impressed with the tremendous support and communication abilities that Facebook offers.  Facebook supporters used their friends and contacts to turn out a large group of supporters for him at a parade in Skagit County recently.  This all happened at the last-minute, with the supporters spontaneously showing up to march with him during the event.  Supporters also follow him on Twitter @DinoRossiWA, and get updates from his campaign headquarters @DinoRossiHQ.

Rossi pointed out that he has been successful in the past campaigning against an incumbent for State Senate, even when that earlier opponent outspent him by a margin of 20%.  "The reality is that I have the support of the people with me; Murray's number one source of fundraising is from lobbyists."

Before leaving to continue campaigning in eastern Washington, Rossi said that he needs the support of everyone, by going to his campaign website, dinorossi.com, volunteering, knocking on doors, and giving financial support in any amount they are comfortable contributing.  He also said that once elected, he needs people to keep supporting him, and not to abandon him.  He will need input from the community, and wants citizens to stay involved to help implement the major course correction that he and other conservative candidates hope to bring to Washington D.C.

Boeing...Boeing...Gone

Boeing recently endorsed the reelection of Sen. Patty Murray:

Sen. Murray has been a true advocate and champion for the Boeing Co. and for our 75,000 Washington-based employees throughout her three terms, and therefore we support her in her reelection bid.

That undoubtedly made more than a few Boeing workers chuckle.

Those 75,000 Washington based employees of Boeing only make up 45% of the company's workforce.  What was the percentage when Murray took office in 1995, before Boeing moved its corporate headquarters to Chicago in 2001?  On Murray's watch, Boeing has made an inexorable exodus from increasingly business-unfriendly Washington.


You see, despite Murray's grandstanding on the Pentagon's EADS contract, she did nothing when the real crunch came last year, when Boeing selected Charleston, SC as the site of its second 787 assembly line.  Murray didn't get directly involved in talks between the aircraft manufacturer and the machinists union.   

And when Boeing made its inevitable decision to leave, the "Mom in Tennis Shoes" scolded, "It's a corporate company with a board and stakeholders that don't share the culture of a family that we grew up with."
Despite not sharing her "family values," Murray is all too willing to endorse any checks Boeing may write her, a la Goldman Sachs (Boeing and its employees have donated $74,550 to Murray this cycle.)

Meanwhile, the pain continues for Washington workers as jobs that should have been created here continue to hemorrhage away, again on Murray's watch:

Boeing Co. said on Thursday that it will make the interior for some of its new 787 airliners in North Charleston, S.C.

Boeing said it will buy land from Stone Mountain Industrial Park Inc. for the facility, which will be about 10 miles away from a 787 assembly operation in North Charleston. Terms of the deal were undisclosed.

Construction is expected to begin in the fourth quarter, and the plant should be running by early 2012, Boeing spokesman Tom Brabant said.

Rossi Nearly Matches Murray in Fundraising

According to a just released press release from the Rossi campaign:

U.S. Senate candidate Dino Rossi announced on Tuesday that he has raised roughly $1.4 million since entering the race for U.S. Senate one month ago.

"The support from donors across the state is inspiring and indicates people here in Washington State are ready for a U.S. Senator who represents families and small businesses instead of DC special interests and the Democratic Leadership who want to keep spending and growing government,” said Rossi.

The second fundraising quarter officially closed on June 30, 2010, just four weeks after Rossi entered the race. During those four weeks, Rossi raised roughly $1.4 million from over 5,000 donors.

Incumbent Democratic Senator Patty Murray raised $1.6 million in the second quarter.  Considering Dino did not make his candidacy official until late May, just barely a month before the June 30 reporting deadline, those numbers are astounding.

Make Murray Worry

New anti-Patty Murray ad from the American Action Network PAC:



Love the old tennis shoes on the backs. Good stuff.

EXCLUSIVE: Dino Rossi on the Issues

I spoke by phone yesterday with Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dino Rossi. Rossi seems confident and is very happy with the way his campaign is going. As he told the National Journal’s Hotline OnCall last week, "This is the first time I've actually run in a non-presidential year. I never have before. I've always had to wear everybody else's baggage." Dino has also never run in a year where the national tide was running so strongly against Democrats. Clearly, he’s enjoying the freedom. To me, he seems like the Dino of 2004, the upset-minded underdog full of enthusiasm and energy.

Dino senses the Democrats' desperation. Patty Murray has never faced so formidable of an opponent before. Rossi knows the Democrats will come at him with everything they’ve got. But they have before, and there is really very little negative that can be put out that Washington voters haven’t already heard in 2004 and 2008.

There are two narratives emerging from the Rossi Senate campaign. First, there is the one put forth by Fred Barnes that Dino is the “10th man,” the 51st vote in the Senate for Republicans to take back the majority. This fact is evidenced by the two fundraisers held for Dino back east, and another that is planned for July 27. The Washington Senate race has national implications and will increasingly attract national attention and money.

The second narrative is one that will grow as we get closer to November and Dino’s polling numbers stay even or actually increase (and they will, he’s only been in the race a month and a half.) Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts was a huge upset certainly. But a Dino Rossi victory would be an even greater triumph. Brown ran for an open seat. Dino faces an 18-year incumbent in a state equally as blue as Massachusetts. Remember, Washington has not elected a Republican governor since 1980, the longest streak in the country. Washington will be the bellwether. If Murray is seen as vulnerable in late October, ANY Democrat in the country could be viewed as vulnerable. And if Dino wins, not only will it galvanize the Washington State Republican Party, it will change the conversation about Republicans throughout the United States.

Dino realizes what’s at stake. That’s why he told me he left “political retirement” to take on this challenge.

TF:  The economic pain in this country is both wide and deep. Unemployment is just part of the story. A recent Pew Research Survey found that the recession has affected more than half of working adults in the U.S., including pay cuts, reduced hours, cutting back on spending, and postponing retirement. How have Patty Murray and the Democrats failed Washington’s working families, and what do you propose to turn things around?

Dino Rossi:  Well, I tell you, part of the problem here is when Patty Murray voted for the trillion dollar stimulus package, she said that there was going to be no higher than 8% unemployment, which is outrageous in itself, the 8% figure. Clearly that hasn’t happened. The functional unemployment rate is over 17% in the state of Washington. If you add the people who are currently unemployed and looking for work and the ones who have given up, the computer experts who are delivering pizza right now, you’ve got a 17% functional unemployment rate. It’s nearly two out of every ten that you meet that are functionally unemployed. It’s a huge problem.

The problem too is that Patty, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and the gang really believe that raising taxes is part of what needs to be done and translating that into government spending is somehow going to make us prosperous. This is part of the real problem I see. You know, you just take the health care bill alone. The health care bill was a tax-and-spend bill with a little health care sprinkled on top. You have a $500 billion tax increase. It will cost the Boeing Company alone $150 million. But if you go across the state of Washington and ask businesses how much this health care bill is going to cost them, you talk about taking money from the job-creating private sector and putting it into temporary government jobs and putting it into more government and larger government. So you’re talking about tens of thousands of jobs that are going to be lost because of her 60th and deciding vote on that highly partisan health care bill.

This is what Patty and her friends have been up to. They honestly believe this Keynesian economic notion that you borrow money from the Chinese, the Saudis and print it and spend it on your pet pork projects and somehow you’ll be a prosperous nation. Follow the logic of this. If that were true, would there be any poor nations in the world? Everybody would do that. That’s part of the problem.

What we have to do is, we have to start bringing back and living within our means. For businesses to flourish, and I’m talking about especially small businesses, over 60% of our job growth since 1992 has come from small businesses, for them to flourish, we need to have low tax rates and predictable regulation. This is not rocket science. Coming from a business background myself, I’m on the Dean’s Advisory Board at Seattle University School of Business and Economics, it’s not rocket science what you have to do. But I’m running against someone who has never held a meaningful private sector job in her adult life that I know of. So we have a very different way of looking at it, which is one of the reasons this election is so important. The team that is on the field right now is the one that is actually driving this.

We are going to hit the rocks, I think. Interest rates are going to go up. I think the cost of our debt is going to go through the roof. We have so much of it hanging out there right now as far as debt is concerned. It’s going to be a very serious situation. But if these folks, Patty and her friends, are still in charge, what they’re going to do when we hit the rocks is back the ship up and put it full steam ahead and hit the rocks again, because they think that we’re not spending enough. Unfortunately, that’s exactly the wrong idea. We have to stop the spending and start controlling spending. Otherwise, it’s going to kill all our jobs. But, if you let the small businesses flourish, jobs will come back.

TF:  The closure of Yucca Mountain is a very important issue for Eastern Washingtonians. Why do you think Patty Murray is not doing more to stop it? It reminds many people around here of when Christine Gregoire let Areva slip away to Idaho a few years ago.

Dino Rossi:  I think you’re going to have to ask her why she isn’t doing more. She’s done some things, but she’s not doing more. What she needs to do is push through some form of legislation that will make sure and require that Yucca, and all the things that have been laid out for Yucca, are followed through with. That’s unfortunately not what she’s doing. You might want to ask her who she is afraid of offending. Bottom line is we need to get the nuclear waste out of Washington state.

TF:  A Gallup Poll last month showed that there is a greater enthusiasm gap this year between Republicans and Democrats than there was even in the watershed election year of 1994. Are you seeing that out there in the campaign trail? Are voters hungry for REAL hope and change?

Dino Rossi:  Boy, it’s been phenomenal out on the campaign trail. People that we’ve encountered, a lot of them have never been involved in politics before in their life. These are folks who have never really engaged before. Engineers to school principals to you name it that understand the country is in trouble, which is the same thing that got me in this race. I’ve never been more concerned for the future of our country. So we’re finding that enthusiasm level is out there.

I’m not sure about the other side, if they’re getting the same enthusiasm. But I haven’t witnessed it yet.

TF:  Would you oppose a bill extending unemployment benefits if it added to the deficit, as Senator Tom Coburn did, and if so, why?

Dino Rossi:  Yeah, I think it needs to be paid for. There are many people unemployed in our state right now. But if we are going to put forward unemployment insurance, it needs to be paid for. Patty Murray actually voted for they call it the "Pay-Go bill," that actually, if you are going to have more spending, you have to find other places where you need to reduce so you don’t add to the deficit. And then, every time something comes up, she’ll vote to look the other way when it comes to “pay as you go.”

Why can’t you pay as you go? I’m not talking about increasing taxes to get there but that’s always the first knee-jerk reaction by my opponent. We don’t need to increase taxes. There are plenty of things that can be done to reduce this budget. What about ending TARP, which has almost $400 billion sitting in that account? Ending the remaining balance of the stimulus which is $270 billion sitting there? The people in my neighborhood are hurting right now.  Why don’t we just tell federal government workers you’re not going to get a raise for a year? There’s another $30 billion. By reducing the federal workforce back to pre-Obama levels by only hiring one back for every two that leave, that’s another $35 billion. We’re talking about some real money just laying there on the table that could reduce this deficit.

Quite frankly, we are passing on a debt to our kids. It’s unconscionable what we’re doing here, when my 16-year old asks me, “How much money do I owe?” You know, 16-year olds should be asking, “When’s my next baseball game. 16-year olds should be asking, “When can I get my driver’s license?” 16-year olds should be asking those kinds of questions, not how much I owe. Our parents and grandparents, they worked, they produced, they saved. This generation, and especially this crop of politicians that are in charge, are borrowing to consume. It can’t end well.

TF:  Do you have anything else you would like to say to readers?

Dino Rossi:  Certainly! We want to welcome anybody who wants to work in good faith to turn this country around. We are in serious trouble right now I believe, which is the only thing that got me out of political retirement. It was that serious. I believe that if we don’t have a course correction here this election cycle, we’re going to wake up 24 months from now to a country we don’t even recognize. We are at that crossroads where either we are going to restore the ideals the Founding Fathers intended for this country or we are going to become France or worse yet, Greece. That’s it. That’s where we are.

I was in a "Fox and Friends" interview a few weeks ago with Brian Kilmeade. In the interview, I said to Brian, “It’s only the future of the free world at stake.” And it is.

Didier: The Narrative and The Reality

There's yet another national wire story out today about Washington Republican U.S. Senate candidate Clint Didier using the "Tea Party vs. Establishment" narrative.  Didier, who has been endorsed by Sarah Palin, has consistently claimed the support of the Tea Party movement, true conservatives, and those who reside in rural Eastern Washington where he is from.

But is this narrative really true, or is it just campaign rhetoric?

The crosstabs of the recently conducted SurveyUSA poll of the August 17 Washington U.S. Senate primary reveal some surprising answers.


Among Washington voters who had a favorable view of the Tea Party movement, only 8% support Didier.  A whopping 67% support Dino Rossi, who Didier has claimed is the "establishment" candidate.  13% are undecided.

10% of those who consider themselves conservatives in ideology, back Didier, while Rossi gets 59%, with 16% undecided.

And Eastern Washigton residents give Eltopia native Didier 12%.  Rossi, a native of King County on the western side of the state,  has nearly three times as many Eastern Washington supporters at 32%, with 24% undecided.

Since a radical pro-life group released a video attacking Rossi over his stance on abortions inthe case of rape or incest this week, it is worth noting that 57% of pro-life voters prefer Rossi versus just 9% for Didier.

Across the board, those are grim numbers for Didier, certainly all out of proportion to the national media coverage he is receiving which is strictly a result of Palin's endorsement.  Didier is receiving no more than token support, even among the groups he claims to champion.

A couple of other noteworthy points.  Rossi, as I have pointed out repeatedly in the past, is the candidate that most inspires young people.  He enjoys 33% of the support from voters aged 18-34.  Rossi also enjoys a 36-29 advantage over Patty Murray among independents.  That's a good start, but I think he'll have to get close to 50% among independent voters to win.

Fail: Patty Murray Pulls "Sinners and Saints" Attack Video

According to the Spokesman-Review's Spin Control blog:

Patty Murray’s Senate campaign was forced to pull a video that jabbed GOP challenger Dino Rossi because it was using a Billy Joel song without legal permission.

“We have not received any complaints,” campaign spokeswoman Alex Glass said today. “We did it out of an abundance of caution.”

The one-minute video that was being circulated by the campaign and Democratic sources, and posted on YouTube, took a swipe at Rossi for comments attributed to him in a recent National Journal article. In describing his chances of winning over uncommitted voters, Rossi was quoted as saying: “In the old adage, there are saints and sinners and those who can be saved. The saints are with us, the sinners are not. And the ones that can be saved are the ones we will be talking to.”

That prompted Democrats in Washington state to respond with “who you calling a sinner?”

The Murray campaign produced a quick video with some big business GOP supporters, questioning their sainthood, and Murray with veterans, moms and kids, asking if they were sinners.

The video used to be here.  This isn't the first time that Murray's attacks have fallen flat.  Leftist Seattle-PI columnist Joel Connelly, referring to DSCC attacks on Rossi, wrote,  "What's being debased is not Dino Rossi, but a process of self-government that should deliver honest choices to the votes."

Survey USA: Murray 37%, Rossi 33%, Didier 5%, Akers 3%

A new KING 5/Survey USA poll has Patty Murray and Dino Rossi far ahead in the August 17 primary for the U.S. Senate race in Washington state:

Murray (D) 37%
Rossi (R) 33%
Didier (R) 5%
Akers (R) 3%
Undecided 19%

The poll's margin of error is 4.4%, which means Murray and Rossi are statistically in a dead heat.  These results are almost identical to an Elway poll released last week, which was the first poll conducted specifically of the August "top two" primary for which ballots will start being mailed out in a about a month.  38 of 39 Washington counties are all vote by mail.  The top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will go on to the November general election.

The poll also verified the "enthusiasm gap" between Washington Republicans and Demoocrats:

Meanwhile, a good sign for Republicans is voter frustration with the status quo. The poll asked voters how enthusiastic they are about voting this year compared to last year. Among Republicans in our state, 49 percent are more enthusiastic this year. By comparison, the majority of Democrats, nearly 60 percent, say they are no more or less enthusiastic than usual.

Who could be inspired by voting for Patty Murray's 19-24th years in the U.S. Senate?  What have the first 18 accomplished?

Triangulating Dino Rossi

Publicola editor Josh Feit has predicted:

Didier is going to make Rossi look good (moderate) to the mainstream public. Instead of alienating the GOP base, Rossi’s scrap with Didier is going to attract moderate Democrats and Independents who want change, but not Krazy change.

Didier will make those important moderate voters feel comfortable with Rossi in time for the general.

The latest attack on Rossi by the Washington Life Coalition would seem to prove the theory out.  For years, Rossi has been attacked from the left by NARAL, NOW and Planned Parenthood as a caveman who wants to keep women barefoot and pregnant.  Now a far right organization joins in, slamming Rossi in a new video for not unconditionally opposing abortion, even in the case of rape or incest.




It's curious that Washington Life Coalition would go after Rossi on this issue.  In 2000, only 1% of induced abortions in the U.S. were due to rape or incest.  The pro-life movement in fact frequently downplays the number of rape and incest related abortions to argue that abortion is used more as a form of birth control. Would pro-lifers prefer a candidate who is 99% anti-abortion to Patty Murray who is 100% pro-abortion on the taxpayer's dime?   But maybe not so curious after all, as some members of the Washington Life Coalition are supporters of Rossi's Republican opponent Clint Didier.  So we're back to Feit's prediction.

There's no question that Dino Rosi is pro-life.  In fact, when asked by RealClearPolitics, "You are pro-life. When was the last time Washington voters elected a pro-life senator?," Dino didn't deny the label, he simply responded, "I'm not really sure about that. You'd have to go research that yourself."  But he's not running a campaign based on abortion.  He's running a campaign based on shrinking government and restoring fiscal sanity.

Abortion in the case of rape or incest is hardly a burning issue for most voters, particularly with the current dismal economic and jobs prospects.  Washington voters want real, sensible solutions, not ideological quibbling.   So these zealots on the left and the right are doing Rossi an inestimable favor by triangulating him in the eyes of voters.  Rossi will finally be free to run as himself.  This could be his year.   As Rossi told the National Journal's Hotline OnCall, "This is the first time I've actually run in a non-presidential year.  I never have before. I've always had to wear everybody's else's baggage."