Spin control: Esser straining at fundraising gnat

State Republicans are a bit peeved with the governor about the money she’s raising for 2008.

But their complaint is not so much how much she’s raising – truth be told, they don’t really know yet how much she’s pulled in – but when she’s raising it. State GOP Chairman Luke Esser groused recently that Gov. Gregoire was holding fundraisers while she was still in the process of signing the 2 gazillion bills the Legislature passed this year.

Legislators can’t raise money while they’re in session, and the money moratorium used to extend for 30 days beyond the session’s close, a time when bills were awaiting the governor’s Jane Hancock. But when the Lege moved the state primary from September to August last year, one of the deals they made was to drop the post-session money-grubbing ban.

Esser’s point, which admittedly is strained, is that even though the legislators are done with legislative business, Gregoire isn’t until all the bills are signed. But as she travels around the state to sign pet bills in the hometowns of their sponsors and various legislative big wheels, she’s also able to hold fundraisers. Maybe even with donors who have an interest in the bills she could sign or veto, Esser hints rather pointedly.

“Gov. Gregoire’s campaign solicitations would have been illegal last year until a new loophole was opened in Washington campaign finance law,” he huffed last week.

Loophole seems to be a bit of a loaded word, considering the legislators were primarily looking out for themselves when they removed the fundraising freeze last year. And Gregoire didn’t veto any bills, so it would be hard to prove she was holding legislation hostage for campaign quid pro quo.

And in this corner …

Gregoire’s potential adversary, Dino Rossi, meanwhile, is keeping his profile high as he weighs a rematch. He’s president of the Forward Washington Foundation, which seems like a combination think tank and Rossi campaign-in-waiting.

Last week, the foundation announced it was setting up an “idea bank” to let citizens submit thoughts on how to get government back on track. The foundation will hold forums around the state this summer – schedule to be announced later – to take “deposits.” Don’t be surprised if the forums showcase Rossi and look a bit like campaign events, even though he won’t decide whether to run until late this year.

Look for “withdrawals” from the idea bank next year, about the time the Legislature returns to session.

Not sure if Gregoire’s administration will have any interest in borrowing from the idea bank, or if Rossi will charge any interest if she does.

We’re No. 1 …

Washington state was tops last year for independent campaign expenditures for state supreme court judicial races.

But don’t go high-fiving anyone, says a group called the Justice at Stake Campaign. This is not necessarily a good thing.

The campaign, which is a coalition of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School and the National Institute for Money in State Politics, figures that $2.7 million was pumped into the high court races by three independent groups and the candidates broke fundraising records as well.

Overall, Washington was second, behind Alabama, in total campaign spending for those court seats.

And what did all that money buy? Among other things, a record 1,081 television commercials, the group said in its report. (It’s possible they miscounted – seems like there were more judicial commercials than that just during the baseball playoffs.)

Among those who think all this spending is a bad trend is former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who worries that judicial elections “are becoming political prizefights where partisans and special interests seek to install judges who will answer to them instead of the law and the Constitution.”

But before we get too critical of this gilt-edged campaigning, it’s only fair to remember that judicial campaigns have traditionally been fairly bland affairs because of strict restrictions on what the candidates can and can’t say. That creates a bit of an issue vacuum in most campaigns – and politics, like nature, abhors a vacuum.

It might also be important to note that in Washington the effect of all this spending last year is debatable. Independent groups weighed in heavily on both sides, but incumbents beat challengers. So it may be possible to conclude that incumbency still trumps money in judicial elections.

Time’s a-wasting

Just a quick note to folks who are thinking about running for political office this year, either in cities, towns, school districts, fire districts, water districts or cemetery districts.

(Yes we do elect people to cemetery districts. Generally in rural areas.)

It’s approaching the time to spit or get off the spot. Candidate filing opens June 4 and closes June 8 this year, because the primary has been moved up to August. You can’t stay on the fence much longer.