Gop Recruitment Drive On For Candidate To Oppose Smith State Party Chair Dale Foreman Out; Radio Talk-Show Host Considering Run

Republican leaders looking for a candidate to challenge Congresswoman Linda Smith for the GOP nomination to the U.S. Senate won’t find one in Dale Foreman.

Foreman, chairman of the state Republican Party and a former state lawmaker from Wenatchee, this week sidestepped a recruitment drive led by Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, chairman of the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee.

“It was an honor being considered,” Foreman said. “But I’d given a pledge to the state committee that I would serve out my term.”

People familiar with the recruitment effort say McConnell and other party bigwigs have not given up trying to find a candidate to keep Smith, who represents the 3rd Congressional District of southwest Washington, from running unopposed for the Republican nomination.

The winner of the 1998 GOP primary will face incumbent Democrat Patty Murray.

Emerging as a possible challenger is radio talk-show host and newspaper columnist John Carlson, who traveled to Washington, D.C., last week for meetings about a possible candidacy, The News Tribune of Tacoma reported today.

“Right now I’m keeping an open mind about my future,” Carlson said. “I was back talking to people about the race. If you’re seriously thinking about a race, you need to see how the race looks from both Washingtons.”

Carlson said he’ll probably decide by the end of summer, definitely by the end of 1997.

Another GOP House member, Jennifer Dunn of Bellevue, has all but ruled out a campaign. Rep. George Nethercutt of Spokane is expected to decide by mid July if he’ll run.

The recruitment drive reflects the unease national Republican officials have with Smith, who has differed publicly with GOP congressional and party leaders - especially over campaign finance issues.

“They want a candidate who can win both a primary and a general election,” Foreman said. “Their perspective is they thought I could win that race.”

Foreman, however, doesn’t write off Smith as a solid candidate.

“There are people in Washington, D.C., who do not understand Linda’s strong grass-roots support,” Foreman said. “I explained that to them.”

Smith said she is aware of some efforts to recruit opponents. She said she ran into Carlson in D.C. and he told her he was considering a campaign. She told him he couldn’t defeat her.

The Hazel Dell lawmaker said she thought Carlson would be a candidate when he did a radio program that was critical of her a week ago.

“I knew something was up,” Smith said. “It looked like he started his campaign last week.”

Responded Carlson: “Just because she’s a Republican doesn’t mean she won’t be criticized on KVI.”

But Smith said it suits her campaign to have other candidates recruited by the likes of McConnell, who has opposed attempts to restrict campaign contributions from political action committees. Smith says she won’t accept PAC money.

“To some extent, it’s better if they recruit a PAC candidate,” she said.