Jim Camden

1. Republican Bob Dole. Photo by Associated Press 2. Democrat Bill Clinton. Photo by Associated Press

Moderate message. Gary Locke talks with Spokane residents at the Crescent Court on Firday. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

Inland Northwest residents may get a close look at the nation's newest military cargo plane if the Air Force gets its way. A few will get a very close look.

The sin of buying a home in the "other Washington" was leveled against Rep. George Nethercutt on Wednesday by Gonzaga University students supporting Democrat Judy Olson. Nethercutt was defended by another group of GU students who complained that Olson was another "tax-and-spend liberal." The arguments outside the Crosby Center were hardly the pinnacle of political discourse. But the complaints of the GU Young Democrats had a familiar ring.

The first Republican Congress in 40 years had a string of successes and "one fiasco over the government shutdown," Rep. George Nethercutt said Monday after returning to Spokane to campaign for re-election. The list of successes includes reforms of welfare and immigration laws, a major overhaul of federal farm programs and budget savings of more than $53 million, the freshman Republican said.

Teresa Eggleston, 11, admires her brother Eric's Purple Heart at Fairchild Air Force Base on Friday. Eggleston, Dwight Nelson and Mark Deinhart were awarded the medals after they were injured during a bombing in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

The Dole-Kemp campaign thinks Fred and Magdelen Regalado are a typical enough Spokane family to illustrate the kind of tax savings the GOP is offering. But the illustration was more of a rough sketch than a finished portrait Wednesday.

1. Nethercutt 2. Olson

Two years ago, Washington state led the nation's Republican revolution, ousting five sitting Democratic members of Congress. Now those GOP freshman face re-election themselves with big targets on their backs.

1. Democrat Judy Olson was all smiles Tuesday night. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Nethercutt rushes out of his headquarters to catch a plane to D.C. on Tuesday. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

Anyone who complains about a lack of choices at the ballot box hasn't considered today's primary. One of the most crowded ballots in memory features long lists of would-be office-holders: 15 governors, 14 lieutenant governors, 11 state school superintendents, seven insurance commissioners.

President Bill Clinton appears headed for victory in Washington state, while Republican Bob Dole could coast to a win in Idaho, a pair of statewide polls show. Texas billionaire Ross Perot, the Reform Party nominee, is foundering in both states, according to the polls by Political/Media Research Inc.

A B-52 plummets to the ground in 1994, killing all four on board. File/CBS News

Most Washington voters don't believe the federal government can do what Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole promises - balance the budget and cut taxes. Most Idaho voters do.

Washington voters may be poised to approve another set of term limits on their members of Congress, a new poll shows. They also are leaning toward a law that would permit casino-style gambling on Indian lands, according to a poll by Political/Media Research.

Seattle Mayor Norm Rice is moving to the top of the gubernatorial primary field, while Dale Foreman leads a closely bunched group of Republicans, a new survey shows. But one voter in six was undecided with only a week to go before Tuesday's primary in the survey sponsored by The Spokesman-Review, KHQTV in Spokane and KING-TV in Seattle.

If there are tougher crowds on the campaign trail than the teenagers at Crosswalk at 6:40 a.m., Gary Locke will have to work hard to find them. "How do you like it here?" the Democratic gubernatorial candidate asked a series of street kids who were coaxed out of their fold-up beds an hour early Thursday for a campaign visit.

Said

Republican George Nethercutt probably will get the most votes in Tuesday's primary but faces a tough re-election battle in November, a new voter survey suggests. The freshman congressman easily tops the four-person primary field, while farmer Judy Olson has a commanding lead in the Democratic primary, according to a new scientific survey conducted for The Spokesman-Review and KHQ-TV.

Voters who like choices will love Tuesday's primary. Take the governor's race. With eight Republicans, six Democrats and a Socialist Workers candidate sharing the first page of the ballot, there's no shortage of options.

Groups that favored gun rights and term limits helped catapult Republican George Nethercutt into Congress two years ago. Groups that oppose changes to Medicare and environmental laws are trying this year to knock him out. Nethercutt, a Spokane attorney, is one of the most famous of 73 Republican freshmen elected in the 1994 GOP victory. Dubbed the giant killer, he defeated sitting House Speaker Tom Foley.

Washington voters are leery of reducing Medicare spending to keep the system from going bankrupt - an attitude that could spell trouble for Republicans in upcoming congressional elections. Nearly half of the likely voters surveyed in a new scientific survey said the federal government should not make any major changes in Medicare, the nation's health insurance program for senior citizens.

1. Waldo 2. Waldo speaks to businesswomen after a recent speech at the Spokane Club. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

Norm Maleng awaits his turn at a candidates fair. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review