Hochstatter Denies Volatile Remarks Candidate Referred To Guns, Rights At Rally

An Eastern Washington candidate for governor denied that he suggested citizens arm themselves against state regulators.

“Let me set the record straight: My comments in no way were intended to incite violence against (Gov.) Gary Locke’s hordes of state bureaucrats,” Sen. Harold Hochstatter wrote in a statement.

But some public officials say Hochstatter’s anti-government comments make life more dangerous for workers.

“I’ve got employees who have been threatened with guns already, and then you have a state senator who sanctions it,” said Jennifer Belcher, state commissioner for public lands. “It makes me very nervous for my employees.”

Hochstatter last week spoke at a Lacey, Wash., rally of people opposed to state Department of Ecology shoreline restrictions. He first recited Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Concord Hymn”:

“By the rude bridge that arched the flood/ Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled/ Here once the embattled farmers stood,/ And fired the shot heard round the world.”

Then, according to The Olympian newspaper, the Moses Lake Republican suggested landowners might eventually have to take up arms to protect their rights.

“It’s not time yet, but it’s getting close to time for shooting,” the paper quoted Hochstatter as saying.

Asked Monday if he was misquoted, Hochstatter said, “I don’t want to pick lint off the reporter. He heard what he heard.”

However, an Associated Press reporter who attended the rally and took notes of Hochstatter’s speech had a slightly different recollection of Hochstatter’s comments: “I wouldn’t encourage anybody to do any shooting, unless it’s absolutely necessary. And boy, it’s getting close sometimes.”

The crowd of about 200 people laughed, cheered and applauded in response, the AP reported.

Hochstatter, who is known for his dislike of regulations, said his comments were intended as a warning that people are getting angry over government interference in their lives. That anger could lead to violence in places like the Methow Valley, where some irrigation canals have been shut down at times for the sake of salmon, he said.

“Apparently my warning was taken as a threat by some folks,” Hochstatter said.

Hochstatter will run against John Carlson in September’s Republican primary. The winner will face Locke, a Democrat, in November.

Locke issued a statement late Friday condemning Hochstatter’s reference to shooting as “reprehensible.”

“If this is an accurate quote (in The Olympian), it is an appalling, grossly irresponsible statement for anyone, especially an elected official, to make,” Locke wrote. “We live at a time when violence flares too frequently on our roads, in our homes and even in our schools.”

Hochstatter called Locke’s comments “scare tactics.”

“Gary and I have known each other for more than 10 years, and he knows I value life above all else,” Hochstatter said in his written statement. “I sincerely hope that my comments, taken in their entirety, caused no discomfort, and I hope the governor will apologize for his scare tactics in this campaign.”