Lowry Faces Primary Fight If He Runs Again Party’s Senate Budget Leader, Nita Rinehart, Launches Campaign

Gov. Mike Lowry is assured of a primary battle if he decides to run for a second term.

Fellow Democrat Nita Rinehart, the party’s budget leader in the state Senate, has launched a bid for the governor’s mansion. She said Thursday she won’t lash out at Lowry if he runs again, nor will she personally try to capitalize on sexual-harassment allegations lodged against the governor.

She said she decided over the weekend to run and talked with Lowry by telephone on Wednesday before calling political reporters to announce her decision. She said Lowry welcomed her to the race.

Washington hasn’t had a woman governor - or even a major party nominee - since Dixy Lee Ray won in 1976. Democratic Sen. Patty Murray is the state’s first woman senator.

Lowry, who was elected in 1992, has been sounding increasingly like a candidate for re-election. But he has said he won’t announce a decision until this winter, probably after the legislative session adjourns in March. His wife, Mary Lowry, says the decision hinges on family considerations and the toll of criticism.

Lowry’s political stock dipped last winter when his former deputy press secretary, Susanne Albright, accused him of groping, sexual innuendo and a foul temper. Lowry denied wrongdoing and said his actions had been misinterpreted.

An investigator concluded that his actions were inappropriate and distressing to Albright but that a jury probably would not call it “sexual harassment.” Lowry signed a $97,500 settlement with Albright.

Rinehart said the sexual harassment issue won’t be something she campaigns on.

“That’s not any part of why I’m running,” she said. “It is my intention to have a very civil campaign.”

She did say a number of women’s groups are supporting her and that her fund-raising director, Andrea Singleton, comes from EMILY’s List, the leading national organization that raises money for women candidates.

When a fellow Democrat, state Attorney General Christine Gregoire, cited family considerations earlier this month in saying she would not enter the race, Rinehart said that made her more likely to run. The two share many of the same views and many of the same backers, including women’s groups.

Rinehart, who is assembling an organization, making speeches and raising money, said she plans to focus on education and jobs in the campaign.

“The core of the campaign will be education because that is the first responsibility of this state,” she said.

She said she has been endorsed by nearly half of the Senate Democratic caucus, with 10 members on her advisory committee. The group includes the Senate president pro tem, Lorraine Wojahn of Tacoma, and Sen. Margarita Prentice, who also is a member of the Democratic National Committee.

State Democratic Chairman Paul Berendt welcomed Rinehart to the fray. “I think that people in the party are genuinely happy to see her get into this race,” he said.

The party organization is not taking sides in the primary, although some leaders have expressed concerns about Lowry’s chances of keeping the office for the Democrats.

Lowry’s press secretary, Jordan Dey, said the governor told Rinehart she would be a good candidate and he welcomes anyone who wants the office to jump in.