The Seattle Times has a new political blog. Politics Northwest will be written by the Times political team.
I hope you all will become regular readers and commenters and help maintain the (mostly) civil tone we've had here.
This is the last thing I'll write for The Seattle Times. I [...]
I have stepped away from the blog as I figure out what I'll be doing in my final weeks at the Times. I hope by Tuesday I'll be able to tell you what the future is for the Times political blog. There'll be some changes, for sure. But I'm confident [...]
What did you think about John McCain's speech? It seems that the talk last week about whether McCain would do as well as Obama pretty much morphed by tonight into comparisons between tonight's speech and the one delivered last night by running mate Sarah Palin.
I'm particularly interested in hearing from [...]
I’m leaving The Seattle Times. I’m also leaving journalism, at least for the next phase of my career.
I am going to work for Vulcan, Inc., the company founded and led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. I will be doing media relations for the company.
It’s an exciting change for me. [...]
Watching Sarah Palin on TV last night it sure seemed like she had won over the Republican faithful. And this morning the AP reports that she
has done in five days what John McCain has never been able to do — fire up the Republican Party's conservative base.I thought' [...]
Attorney General Rob McKenna is in St. Paul for the Republican National Convention. According to Bryan Bissell at politickerwa, McKenna told delegates that for gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi to win this November, John McCain and Sarah Palin need to win big.
Finally McKenna talked about the coattail effects of [...]
The top-two primary last month was only the latest election initiative from the Washington State Grange. The old blanket primary was the group’s work, too. That was in 1934 when the agricultural group teamed with organized labor to push through an initiative to the Legislature.
That same year the [...]
There is a lot of chatter in the trans-continental Internet Tubes this morning about the Alaskan Independence Party and what role Gov. Sarah Palin has played with the group. The party is described as an Alaskan secessionist movement and sure comes off in most reports as a fringe group with [...]
The Republican National Convention will open as scheduled today. But it appears it'll be a far different sort of convention than originally planned. From Politico:
Convention planners said for the first time that they expect McCain to accept the nomination in person, in St. Paul. They had considered a remote [...]
There will be much written tonight, tomorrow and in a long time to come about the speech Barack Obama just delivered in Denver. He delivered the speech flawlessly, and it was as tough as it was specific.
What did you think, though? Did Obama make a believer out of anyone? [...]
Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi will air TV commercials tonight specially produced to appeal to viewers of Democrat Barack Obama’s acceptance of his party’s presidential nomination. In the 30 second spot, which will run only tonight, Rossi says:
Tonight the Democrats have a nominee.I agree with him on this: Change is [...]
Two days after last week's primary, Dino Rossi got $1 million help from the Republican Governor's Association. The AP's Curt Woodward reports that the RGA set up a fundraising committee here and seeded it with a $1 million contribution.
The RGA and the Democratic Governor's Association have both now put [...]
Another political reporter is leaving the business. The Seattle Times’ Ralph Thomas gave notice today. He’s going to work for the Katz Communications Group, headed by another former Timesman, Dean Katz.
I’ve written before about other political reporters leaving. But this one is personal to me. Ralph is one of my [...]
Congressman Brian Baird, D-Vancouver, says that since he came out in favor of the Iraq surge no one wants to talk to him about the war. He says, according to Danny Westneat’s piece this morning, that’s because he was right and most Democrats were wrong.
"After all that extraordinary outrage [...]
Here's the prepared text of Sen. Maria Cantwell's brief speech at the Democratic National Convention. She spoke as part of an event on stage with other female Democratic senators.
I'm Maria Cantwell from the state of Washington.I'm fortunate to represent one of the most pristine and high-tech states in the [...]
The Washington State Republican Party has agreed to pay $15,000 for failing to tell candidates about nearly $300,000 worth of last-minute campaigning the party did for them.
The party filed the right paperwork in 2004 and 2006 to the Public Disclosure Commission, but didn’t send the information to the [...]
The Washington State Democratic delegation is blogging about what they see and hear in Denver.
What I wrote yesterday was about the lack of unity among the delegation. I see that the Democratic Party’s officially sanctioned delegation blogger says I was on the wrong track.
So if my colleagues [...]
Danny Westneat is in Denver to cover the Democratic National Convention for The Seattle Times.
Danny opens his coverage with a piece today James Yee, delegate, Muslim, and well-known former Army chaplain.
His story is a useful reminder, he says, of the danger of America chucking aside civil liberties.But his presence [...]
This is from Emily Heffter, the Timeswoman covering the 8th congressional race:
Conservative Democrat Jim Vaughn shared a podium with U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert yesterday to announce his support for the congressman's re-election campaign, saying that Reichert has "stood up to the president."
"He's earned my respect," Vaughn said. "Dave Reichert [...]
The statewide vote count tonight shows Gov. Chris Gregoire with a lead of two percentage points over Republican challenger Dino Rossi. Gregoire just told TVW that Rossi should look for meaning in the returns:
I hope this is a message to him and his friends that negative campaigning isn’t going to [...]
The statewide vote count tonight shows Gov. Chris Gregoire with a lead of two percentage points over Republican challenger Dino Rossi. Gregoire just told TVW that Rossi should look for meaning in the returns:
I hope this is a message to him and his friends that negative campaigning isn’t going to [...]
When I last checked there were about 746,000 voies counted in the governor's race. I bet that's more than half the votes we'll get tonight. Gregoire has 48 percent of those and Rossi has 46 percent.
It's enough for Rossi to issue a statement:
We had a strong showing in the primary [...]
When I last checked there were about 746,000 voies counted in the governor's race. I bet that's more than half the votes we'll get tonight. Gregoire has 48 percent of those and Rossi has 46 percent.
It's enough for Rossi to issue a statement:
We had a strong showing in the primary [...]
Two Supreme Court justices and a Court of Appeals judge facing challenges appear to be doing well with a couple hundred thousand primary night ballots counted.
Supreme Court Justice Mary Fairhurst is leading Michael Bond 60/40. Justice Charles Johnson is only a little bit behind that, with 58 percent to [...]
Two Supreme Court justices and a Court of Appeals judge facing challenges appear to be doing well with a couple hundred thousand primary night ballots counted.
Supreme Court Justice Mary Fairhurst is leading Michael Bond 60/40. Justice Charles Johnson is only a little bit behind that, with 58 percent to [...]
Good evening all. I had hoped to be able to use our live-blogging and chat software but we’re having some technical difficulties. So I’ll start here, the old-fashioned way and try to post through the evening as news warrants.
Let me start by saying I don’t think it makes sense to [...]
Good evening all. I had hoped to be able to use our live-blogging and chat software but we’re having some technical difficulties. So I’ll start here, the old-fashioned way and try to post through the evening as news warrants.
Let me start by saying I don’t think it makes sense to [...]
After the polls close tonight I plan to do a little live-blogging and, I hope, a lot of chatting with you all about the state's first-ever top two primary. The campaigns have already flooded me with their pre-spin so it'll be fun to see how the expectation game plays out.
[...]After the polls close tonight I plan to do a little live-blogging and, I hope, a lot of chatting with you all about the state's first-ever top two primary. The campaigns have already flooded me with their pre-spin so it'll be fun to see how the expectation game plays out.
[...]After the polls close tonight I plan to do a little live-blogging and, I hope, a lot of chatting with you all about the state's first-ever top two primary. The campaigns have already flooded me with their pre-spin so it'll be fun to see how the expectation game plays out.
[...]I am working on a story for the paper that has to be done before the Democratic convention opens so blogging will be light at best for a few days.
[...]I am working on a story for the paper that has to be done before the Democratic convention opens so blogging will be light at best for a few days.
[...]I am working on a story for the paper that has to be done before the Democratic convention opens so blogging will be light at best for a few days.
[...]Gov. Chris Gregoire says she’s trying to run a positive campaign and only began airing ads attacking Republican Dino Rossi after his backers attacked her. She’s doing that even though she concedes it has meant putting on hold what would have be an important part of her early re-election campaign.
Lori [...]
Gov. Chris Gregoire says she’s trying to run a positive campaign and only began airing ads attacking Republican Dino Rossi after his backers attacked her. She’s doing that even though she concedes it has meant putting on hold what would have be an important part of her early re-election campaign.
Lori [...]
Gov. Chris Gregoire says she’s trying to run a positive campaign and only began airing ads attacking Republican Dino Rossi after his backers attacked her. She’s doing that even though she concedes it has meant putting on hold what would have be an important part of her early re-election campaign.
Lori [...]
Madison Communications, a Republican political consulting firm in Kirkland, was named today by the Anchorage Daily News as a possible an unnamed co-conspirator in the latest charges in Alaska’s growing political scandal.
The Daily News suggests strongly that says the firm, headed by well-known consultant Brett Bader, is the [...]
Madison Communications, a Republican political consulting firm in Kirkland, was named today by the Anchorage Daily News as a possible an unnamed co-conspirator in the latest charges in Alaska’s growing political scandal.
The Daily News suggests strongly that says the firm, headed by well-known consultant Brett Bader, is the [...]
Madison Communications, a Republican political consulting firm in Kirkland, was named today by the Anchorage Daily News as a possible an unnamed co-conspirator in the latest charges in Alaska’s growing political scandal.
The Daily News suggests strongly that says the firm, headed by well-known consultant Brett Bader, is the [...]
This is a version of a story Andrew Garber and I wrote for tomorrow's paper.
Off-duty Seattle police officers last week forcibly removed a Democratic Party cameraman from a press conference where the police guild was giving its endorsement to Republican Dino Rossi.
Guild members threatened the young man with arrest [...]
This is a version of a story Andrew Garber and I wrote for tomorrow's paper.
Off-duty Seattle police officers last week forcibly removed a Democratic Party cameraman from a press conference where the police guild was giving its endorsement to Republican Dino Rossi.
Guild members threatened the young man with arrest [...]
This is a version of a story Andrew Garber and I wrote for tomorrow's paper.
Off-duty Seattle police officers last week forcibly removed a Democratic Party cameraman from a press conference where the police guild was giving its endorsement to Republican Dino Rossi.
Guild members threatened the young man with arrest [...]
I was shocked to see that John Hughes, editor and publisher of the Daily World in Aberdeen, had announced he was leaving the trade. He’s going to be in charge of the state’s oral history program.
Hughes has been at the World his entire career. He started as a [...]
I was shocked to see that John Hughes, editor and publisher of the Daily World in Aberdeen, had announced he was leaving the trade. He’s going to be in charge of the state’s oral history program.
Hughes has been at the World his entire career. He started as a [...]
I was shocked to see that John Hughes, editor and publisher of the Daily World in Aberdeen, had announced he was leaving the trade. He’s going to be in charge of the state’s oral history program.
Hughes has been at the World his entire career. He started as a [...]
On this month’s primary ballot, 26 Republicans, including gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi, have dropped their common party identification and instead are listed as preferring the “GOP” or “GOP Party.”
It’s an obvious effort, at least on the part of some, to avoid the tarnished Republican brand. But state Republican Party Chairman [...]
On this month’s primary ballot, 26 Republicans, including gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi, have dropped their common party identification and instead are listed as preferring the “GOP” or “GOP Party.”
It’s an obvious effort, at least on the part of some, to avoid the tarnished Republican brand. But state Republican Party Chairman [...]
On this month’s primary ballot, 26 Republicans, including gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi, have dropped their common party identification and instead are listed as preferring the “GOP” or “GOP Party.”
It’s an obvious effort, at least on the part of some, to avoid the tarnished Republican brand. But state Republican Party Chairman [...]
Dino Rossi’s campaign issued a press release yesterday about Gov. Chris Gregoire’s charge that a TV ad attacking her gambling agreement with Native American tribes is racist. The release includes a bit of ethnic political positioning.
“Dino Rossi is part Tlingit Alaskan Native and he has made clear that the issue [...]
Dino Rossi’s campaign issued a press release yesterday about Gov. Chris Gregoire’s charge that a TV ad attacking her gambling agreement with Native American tribes is racist. The release includes a bit of ethnic political positioning.
“Dino Rossi is part Tlingit Alaskan Native and he has made clear that the issue [...]
Dino Rossi’s campaign issued a press release yesterday about Gov. Chris Gregoire’s charge that a TV ad attacking her gambling agreement with Native American tribes is racist. The release includes a bit of ethnic political positioning.
“Dino Rossi is part Tlingit Alaskan Native and he has made clear that the issue [...]
Two items from Emily Heffter about the 8th District congressional race.
Candidates in the close 8th Congressional District race released their fundraising numbers for the month of July today.
Rep. Dave Reichert, the two-term Republican incumbent, raised $115,474 during July, compiling $929,113 in cash on hand.
Democratic challenger Darcy Burner raised [...]
Two items from Emily Heffter about the 8th District congressional race.
Candidates in the close 8th Congressional District race released their fundraising numbers for the month of July today.
Rep. Dave Reichert, the two-term Republican incumbent, raised $115,474 during July, compiling $929,113 in cash on hand.
Democratic challenger Darcy Burner raised [...]
Two items from Emily Heffter about the 8th District congressional race.
Candidates in the close 8th Congressional District race released their fundraising numbers for the month of July today.
Rep. Dave Reichert, the two-term Republican incumbent, raised $115,474 during July, compiling $929,113 in cash on hand.
Democratic challenger Darcy Burner raised [...]
I wrote earlier today about Gov. Chris Gregoire's comments to The Stranger about her concerns that she may miss out on this year's Democratic wave.
Just a short while ago her campaign sent out a fundraising e-mail making the plea even more direct.
A Democratic tidal wave is sweeping the nation [...]
I wrote earlier today about Gov. Chris Gregoire's comments to The Stranger about her concerns that she may miss out on this year's Democratic wave.
Just a short while ago her campaign sent out a fundraising e-mail making the plea even more direct.
A Democratic tidal wave is sweeping the nation [...]
I wrote earlier today about Gov. Chris Gregoire's comments to The Stranger about her concerns that she may miss out on this year's Democratic wave.
Just a short while ago her campaign sent out a fundraising e-mail making the plea even more direct.
A Democratic tidal wave is sweeping the nation [...]
Gov. Chris Gregoire says that voters newly energized by the campaign of Barack Obama fail to understand that to get real change this November they need to also vote for her and other Democrats further down the ballot.
In an interview with The Stranger, Gregoire talked about the need to [...]
Gov. Chris Gregoire says that voters newly energized by the campaign of Barack Obama fail to understand that to get real change this November they need to also vote for her and other Democrats further down the ballot.
In an interview with The Stranger, Gregoire talked about the need to [...]
Gov. Chris Gregoire’s announcement of a hiring freeze this week was, as reported in The Times, her most significant action so far to confront a growing economic downturn. But she was oh-so-careful to separate Washington's situation from the poor economy nationally. There’s no mention of a recession, even outside [...]
Gov. Chris Gregoire’s announcement of a hiring freeze this week was, as reported in The Times, her most significant action so far to confront a growing economic downturn. But she was oh-so-careful to separate Washington's situation from the poor economy nationally. There’s no mention of a recession, even outside [...]
From staff reporter Ralph Thomas:
Got a burning question for Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire or her Republican opponent Dino Rossi? Here's your chance.
YouTube is including the Rossi-Gregoire race in their YouChoose '08 election coverage. Between now and Aug. 12, YouTube will be taking suggestions for questions, from [...]
From staff reporter Ralph Thomas:
Got a burning question for Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire or her Republican opponent Dino Rossi? Here's your chance.
YouTube is including the Rossi-Gregoire race in their YouChoose '08 election coverage. Between now and Aug. 12, YouTube will be taking suggestions for questions, from [...]
This post comes from staff reporter Ralph Thomas:
From the counting-their-chickens file:
There are 10 people running for governor and the primary election is still two weeks away. But that hasn’t stopped Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire and Republican Dino Rossi from making plans for a series of general election debates.
Gregoire and Rossi [...]
This post comes from staff reporter Ralph Thomas:
From the counting-their-chickens file:
There are 10 people running for governor and the primary election is still two weeks away. But that hasn’t stopped Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire and Republican Dino Rossi from making plans for a series of general election debates.
Gregoire and Rossi [...]
With David Postman off for a couple of days, staff reporter Emily Heffter, who is covering the 8th Congressional District race, filed this post:
Democratic Congressional candidate Darcy Burner's campaign launched its first TV ad today, a one-minute spot introducing Burner to voters by talking about her family and experiences. You [...]
By the time you read this I'll be going through my wardrobe to pick just the right vacation outfit for my first-ever visit to the island.
(Confidential to John: This is not an open thread.)
[...]The school worker’s union where Randy Dorn has worked for nearly a decade has spent $60,000 to prepare ads backing his campaign for state school chief, and opposing the incumbent, Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson.
Dorn is executive director of the state Public School Employees union. The 26,000-member union is [...]
I posted yesterday about Dino Rossi's first TV ad of the campaign. But it turns out there are two versions of the spot. You can watch the one I posted about here:
Then watch this version here.
Can you spot the differences? And can you figure out why [...]
I wrote Monday about Dino Rossi and Forward Washington, the non-profit foundation he led after losing the 2004 governor’s race. It would be fair to say that after reading Ralph Thomas’ Sunday story about Rossi’s efforts since 2004 and looking again at the Public Disclosure Commission investigation of the [...]
Republican Dino Rossi is up with his first TV commerical. It is 30 seconds. The campaign calls it “Better.” It doesn’t mention his opponent, Gov. Chris Gregoire, and includes no specifics other than saying he’s for better schools, fewer traffic jams and a better climate for small businesses.
It is designed [...]
U.S. Sen. Ted Sevens, R-Alaska, was indicted today on charges related to his failure to disclose financial gifts and favors from VECO that brought him a remodeled home along with a new car for his son.
In Alaska, I’m sure the talk has already turned to what this [...]
Democrat Darcy Burner’s campaign has more cash on hand than all but two other congressional challengers this year. That’s according to CQ Politics, as pointed out by the Burner campaign this morning. Here’s what CQ has to say about Burner’s stash of cash in her rematch against Rep. Dave [...]
This morning, in one of those smart-alecky things reporters write, I said that you'd know that Dino Rossi's non-profit foundation was taking off when you see goats on the side of the freeway. And now, the day not even over, an attentive reader sends along this headline from the Federal [...]
The state Public Disclosure Commission has gone live with a new searchable database of campaign fundraising and spending. It makes huge improvements on the previous site, which was packed with good information but not always intuitive to use.
Eric Earling at Sound Politics says it's "crack for political [...]
I'm taking the rest of the week off. I'll be back Monday, but if you miss me you can tune in Sunday for KING 5's Up Frontat 9:30 a.m. on KING and 8 p.m. on Northwest Cable News.
[...]Gov. Chris Gregoire has her first re-election TV commercial on the air. Gregoire uses the 30 second spot -- which the campaign calls "The News" -- to push her point that Washington state has been isolated from the economic problems plaguing the rest of the country. A male narrator opens [...]
Congressman Dave Reichert has won important endorsements from the national and state teachers' unions. The usually-Democratic leaning National Education Association and Washington Education Association announced yesterday that they are backing the two-term Republican's re-election.
The NEA gave Reichert an "A" on their Congressional report card. Washington's Democratic delegation [...]
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is now including the 8th Congressional District in $54 million of planned television advertising time. The national committee has reserved $949,000 worth of air time to boost Democrat Darcy Burner's campaign against two-term incument Dave Reichert, R-Auburn, as reported on the Washington Post's political [...]
I'll be on KTTH at 5:30 today to talk with David Boze about Dino Rossi's appearance on KING 5's Up Front. Tune in to 770 AM and see what one of the last local conservative talkers has to say about yesterday's broadcast.
The union-funded Evergreen Progress PAC is airing two new TV spots critical of Republican Dino Rossi’s tenure in the Legislature. Both ads follow the theme and style of earlier spots from the PAC; 15 seconds, narrated in a Desperate-Housewives-sort-of-way, mining Rossi’s votes as chairman of the Senate Ways and [...]
As you likely know by now, the Times ran a story Wednesday about Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland and his admittedly inappropriate behavior toward a new female employee. If you read it, you’ll see that the paper had documents relating to the case for months, and interviewed Sutherland in April.
But [...]
I'm in the WaMu Theater inside the Qwest Event Center. Michelle Obama is the headliner at a lunch fundraiser for Gov. Chris Gregoire.
It cost $200 per person to get in. There are seats for 1,600. (You do the math, though the campaign is hoping people will give more than [...]
This is from Will Mari, a Times editorial intern, and friend of the blog:
It’s a pleasant summer evening at Enatai Beach Park in Bellevue. The sun is shining, dogs are barking, kids are kicking soccer balls and young Republicans are, well, socializing.
Yes, that’s right.
Twenty-something conservatives do exist, and they’re getting [...]
After I reported yesterday that Dino Rossi was in Houston for a fundraiser, Chris Gregoire’s campaign and the Democratic Party were quick to attack the Republican candidate for traveling to the Lone Star state.
Gregoire’s campaign said:
On a day when Republican Dino Rossi headed to Houston to raise money from [...]
Dino Rossi will be in Houston tonight for his second out-of-state fundraiser in less than a week. The Republican gubernatorial candidate will be feted by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association, Rossi spokeswoman Jill Strait confirmed.
She said the event is in a private home and there [...]
A top state attorney says the state primary next month is in no legal jeopardy despite claims by the Republican and Democratic parties that the state is ignoring an order from a federal judge.
Attorneys for the parties said last week that appeals related to the top-two case are continuing [...]
Eli Sanders points out that 8th District Democratic challenger Darcy Burner is not included in a list of 31 races nationwide in which the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has already reserved air time for TV commercials.
Sanders says the list is only an initial buy, and the list may [...]
Billboards promoting Dino Rossi's gubernatorial campaign and telling voters "Don't Let Seattle Steal This Election!" are going up in Eastern Washington, thanks to the Republican's biggest backers. The Building Industry Association of Washington is paying $168,000 for 61 of the billboards, according to this story by Spokane TV station [...]
The leader of the band whose song is used as the theme to The Sopranos says the music was misused when state Democrats made it the soundtrack to an Dino Rossi attack video. According to the Wired blog, A3 leader Larry Love said in a statement:
We are [...]
Gov. Chris Gregoire is airing a radio ad that tries to draw an ideological connection between her opponent, Republican Dino Rossi, and President George W. Bush.
But the ad pushes Rossi a bit further to the right than facts support. Rossi doesn’t help himself much on this front given that [...]
