U.S. Senator
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Attorney general race pits two co-workers
SEATTLE – The two men competing to be Washington’s next attorney general are co-workers, but that’s about as much similarity King County Councilmen Reagan Dunn and Bob Ferguson will admit to sharing. Dunn, a Republican, and Ferguson, a Democrat, have been trying to draw differences for months in their quest to succeed incumbent Rob McKenna, the GOP’s candidate for governor.
Doug Clark: Don’t weed anything into I-502 endorsement
Holy smokes! Did you catch last week’s herbal announcement from State Sen. Michael Bongartner?
McKenna, Inslee differ on energy approach
TACOMA – Climate change may have faded as a national issue, but it remains prominent in the Washington governor’s race. When it comes to incentives and regulations to help green-energy producers, the two main candidates for Washington governor see things differently, the Tacoma News Tribune reported last week.
Spin Control: Governor’s race drawing loads of out-of-state money
OLYMPIA – Close races usually mean big spending, and Washington’s gubernatorial race is no exception. Along with candidates Rob McKenna and Jay Inslee, who have a combined total of $18 million with one month left to raise and spend, outside groups have kicked in another $12 million thus far. The main sources of independent money are the Republican Governors Association and the Democratic Governors Association. These are not, as the casual observer might surmise, subdivisions of the National Governors Association, an organization which arranges regular meetings at which state chief executives can, in the words of Oz, hobnob with their fellow wizards.
Romney, Obama come out swinging
DENVER – In a showdown at close quarters, an aggressive Mitt Romney sparred with President Barack Obama in their first campaign debate Wednesday night over taxes, deficits and strong steps needed to create jobs in a sputtering national economy. “The status quo is not going to cut it,” declared the Republican challenger. Democrat Obama in turn accused his rival of seeking to “double down” on economic policies that actually led to the devastating national downturn four years ago – and of evasiveness when it came to prescriptions for tax changes, health care, Wall Street regulation and more.
No zingers as debate dealt with big issues
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was more passionate in Wednesday night’s debate than some Republicans expected. President Barack Obama was more reserved than some Democrats expected. Neither produced a signature phrase or zinger that will make the first presidential debate of the 2012 campaign memorable, members of both parties said.
U.S. Senate hopeful Baumgartner endorses marijuana initiative
The Republican challenger for a Washington U.S. Senate seat endorsed a ballot measure Wednesday that would legalize marijuana for personal use in the state. State Sen. Mike Baumgartner, R-Spokane, said it was time for a new approach to the nation’s drug policy, and called Initiative 502 a “thoughtful step forward.” Time spent as an adviser to a counternarcotics team in Afghanistan convinced him that drug cartels are gaining from the United States’ approach to criminalizing marijuana for adults, he added.
Incumbent Republican faces same-party opponent
State Rep. Joel Kretz isn’t a Republican you would expect to see challenged for his seat by another Republican. He’s ranked highly by state business groups that generally lean Republican and he’s the party’s deputy minority leader in the House.
Debate claims a bit sketchy
WASHINGTON – As President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney rhetorically sparred in Wednesday night’s televised debate, both candidates exhibited a propensity toward misstatements, falsehoods and exaggerations. From the economy to immigration, health care to military spending, both Romney and Obama sometimes played fast and loose with the facts. Here’s a look at some of what was said: