Free Republic

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Outsiders are in among Washington state Republicans, with candidates who align themselves with the Tea Party and conservative causes getting long and lengthy ovations at the party's convention.More than 1,200 delegates wrapped up the three-day meeting Saturday in Vancouver, hearing speech after speech castigating big government and Democrats, who hold power in both Washington, D.C., and Washington state.However, the August primary and not party conventions will decide the candidates for November's general election. Among those speaking were U.S. Senate candidate Clint Didier, who has the endorsement of Sarah Palin, and fellow Senate candidate Dino Rossi.

Republican Dino Rossi finally made it official this morning, entering the U.S. Senate race for the seat held by three-term incumbent Sen. Patty Murray (D). In a five-minute video posted to his web site, www.dinorossi.com, Rossi reaches out to voters upset with the direction the country is headed, citing rising unemployment, plummeting housing values, "wasteful" stimulus plans and "massive new debt as far as the eye can see." In language straight out of Ronal Reagan’s playbook, Rossi says "America's best days" lie ahead if we "unleash the power of the people" and restore government to its "proper, more limited role."...

WASHINGTON — A Republican official says Dino Rossi plans to enter the Washington state race against Democratic Sen. Patty Murray this week.

It has been two weeks since I bowed out of the US Senate race here and I am back to my day job: Writer. I just sold my latest book, The Leadership Rules, to Jossey-Bass and I am starting on my next book this week. I have also just arranged to write regularly for RedCounty. It makes sense that my first article should be on the Senate race I just got out of. No one knows this race like a candidate. I have seen the inside of the race from all the angles. I have traveled with the candidates and...

It's not just Democrats who are firing warning shots across Dino Rossi's bow. Clint Didier, the U.S. Senate candidate, former Washington Redskin and and self-proclaimed Tea Party favorite, sent out a statement this weekend saying that if Rossi joins the race against Democrat Patty Murray as expected he'll face a strong challenge from Republicans like Didier. "I don't know Dino Rossi personally. But I do know he is part of the Republican establishment – all you have to do is look at those he surrounds himself with. I don't believe he's the conservative people think he is. If people want...

Two things from Scott Roberts … First, he has no inside information as Thurston County Republican Party chairman. Second, there isn't any doubt in his mind that Dino Rossi is running for U.S. Senate against three-term Democratic Sen. Patty Murray. Rossi was in Washington, D.C., last week meeting with Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele and also visiting with Republican senators who want to win back a few seats from the Democrats. "I think Rossi is in. … He doesn't get seen in D.C. unless he is in,"

Former gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi was in D.C. this week to meet with John Cornyn, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, about a possible run against Sen. Patty Murray. The CQ Politics blog has the story. Rossi, a Republican, also met with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, the Washington Post's politics blog, The Fix, reported. Rossi's name has been floated as a possible candidate against Murray, although he has been publicly non-committal about such talk. The filing deadline isn't until June. Rossi is a former state senator who lost two campaigns for governor, in 2004 and 2008.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) isn’t yet considered highly vulnerable in 2010, but a new poll coupled with Scott Brown’s upset win in Massachusetts has Republicans rethinking their chances against the three-term senator.A poll released Thursday from Moore Insight, an Oregon-based GOP polling firm, showed Dino Rossi, a two-time Republican candidate for governor, leading Murray, 45 percent to 43 percent, with 9 percent undecided.The same day the poll was released, Murray sent a fundraising email to supporters, telling them that after Massachusetts, Republicans “are emboldened like perhaps never before, and their thirst for victory is unquenchable. And since they can't run...

The race for Washington’s next Governor is now a tie. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state finds incumbent Christine Gregoire and challenger Dino Rossi each attracting 48% of the vote. Gregoire is viewed favorably by 51% and unfavorably by 47%. Her job performance is rated 43% good or excellent from voters, while 35% say she is doing a poor job. Former State Senator Rossi’s ratings are 50% favorable, 48% unfavorable. This year’s race has been anything but steady. Last month, Rossi pulled ahead of the governor, 52% to 46%, after trailing behind by four percentage points in...

Seattle (AP) -- A judge says the word "Republican" doesn't have to appear next to Dino Rossi's name on the November ballot for the Washington governor's race. Rossi had listed his affiliation as "prefers GOP party," referring to the Republicans' Grand Old Party nickname. Democrats sued this week after a survey showed Rossi had more voter support with the "GOP" tag than he did with the "Republican" tag.

Olympia, Wash. (AP) -- Washington state Democrats sued a state official Tuesday to get a Republican listed on the ballot, arguing a candidate is obscuring his party identity by ballot language that says he "prefers GOP party." The candidate, Dino Rossi, is facing a rematch this November with Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire, who beat him by 133 votes four years ago after three counts and a court challenge. The lawsuit the party filed against Secretary of State Sam Reed argues that "allowing Mr. Rossi to obscure his true party preference and affiliation directly violates the law, would mislead a substantial...

Democrat Barack Obama's once double-digit lead in Washington state is no more, according to this latest SurveyUSA poll conducted exclusively for KING-TV Seattle and KATU-TV Portland Oregon. In an election today, 09/08/08, eight weeks till votes are counted, it's Obama 49%, McCain 45%. Compared to an identical SurveyUSA poll 4 weeks ago (before both candidates had named their running mates), Obama is down 2 points; McCain is up 1. Compared to an identical SurveyUSA poll 8 weeks ago, Obama is down 6; McCain is up 6. Obama led by 17 points in June, led by 16 points in July, led...

Q: What did you do to escape from the major disappointment of winning the election then having the race stolen? A: The 2004 Washington gubernatorial race was the closest in U.S. history and perhaps the most memorable race in Washington state history. I was twice certified as governor-elect but never served in office. We have four children, and my wife and I wanted to make sure that we handled the situation with grace. We were never bitter or angry, and we focused on what we had learned and all the amazing people we had met. And when you have a...

OLYMPIA -- For Gov. Chris Gregoire, apparently less is more. Heading into a bruising re-election battle with budget hawk Dino Rossi, the Democratic governor is adopting a high-profile penny-pinching role, saying that in these uncertain times, Olympia should sock away most of the state's $1.4 billion surplus. Although Gregoire can't rival Rossi in the fiscal conservatism department -- and would alienate her liberal base if she tried -- she views the 2008 legislative session as a prime opportunity to show voters that she's frugal and can restrain spending by her fellow Democrats. It's true that Gregoire is willing to leave...

Top political experts have identified the Washington governor's race as one of the three most competitive in the country in 2008 — after Missouri and Indiana, where Republican governors are defending their jobs. If it seems completely twilight-zone weird that Washington's race is so tight, it is odder still when you realize that our state enjoys one of the nation's most bustling economies. Boeing is humming. Microsoft is strong. Unemployment is low. And yet Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire, who normally would bask in this reflected glory, appears vulnerable against her former and future opponent, Republican Dino Rossi. A recent survey...

Rossi creates cyberspace 'idea bank' Story Published: May 22, 2007 at 3:10 PM PDT Story Updated: May 22, 2007 at 3:52 PM PDT By Associated Press OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Republican Dino Rossi, now expecting to announce in December whether he'll seek a rematch with Gov. Chris Gregoire next year, on Tuesday announced a "Washington Idea Bank" for ordinary citizens to offer their thoughts on how to deal with the state's challenges. The former state senator, a real estate investor who lives in Sammamish, said the Internet-based brainstorming Web site will be augmented by about a dozen idea-gathering sessions...

That is the first in a series of decisions by would-be candidates that Republican leaders hope will soon lead to a single, consensus candidate for the Republican nomination. A key Republican in some of those talks, former U.S. Rep. Jennifer Dunn, said Safeco CEO Mike McGavick is the next first choice for party leaders.

To Dawn Morrell State Legislator, Puyallup I began writing to you in early December about problems with the Governor's election. You waited more than a month until after you had certified and inaugurated Christine before condescending to respond. Your form response claimed that the legislative role in certification was merely clerical. In the hour and a half that I spent discussing this with Jim Kastama (Democrat State Senator, Puyallup) he completely disavowed any support for such a limited legislative role. No reasonable reading of the State Constitution or understanding of constitutional principles can support your contention. The reason for the...

WENATCHEE, Wash. -- An expert witness for Republicans challenging the 2004 election of Gov. Christine Gregoire testified Thursday that when illegal votes are subtracted, the GOP candidate was the rightful winner. The state Republican Party and candidate Dino Rossi challenged the election after Gregoire's 129-vote victory, the closest margin of any governor's contest in the nation's history. The challengers are alleging fraud and worker errors, and want the court to nullify the election, which would lead to a new race between Rossi and Gregoire. Cal Tech political science Professor Jonathan Katz testified the way to tell who really won the...

More and more reports are emerging of the extent to which Democrats were willing to go to try to influence the 2004 election. Well, their tactics worked in Washington State. Our Republican candidate for Governor, Dino Rossi, actually won the election. Then he won the recount. Then Democrat-controlled King County "found" 566 new votes just in time for the second recount, enough to overturn the results of Election Day and the first recount. The new result? Dino Rossi "lost" by 129 votes. But consider the following facts in Washington state; 943 felons illegally voted 49 dead people voted 3 people...