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Democratic incumbent Patty Murray continues to hold a huge fund-raising edge in Washington state's closely watched U.S. Senate race. New campaign finance reports show Murray has topped the $6 million mark in total donations and has more than $4 million on hand as she prepares to battle Republican Rep. George Nethercutt. Nethercutt, who has moved to Bellevue, Wash., to launch a statewide race, has raised more than $1.8 million and has almost $1.4 million on hand, his campaign said. Campaign finance reports for the three months that ended Dec. 31 are not due until Saturday night, but both campaigns released...

BELLEVUE -- U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt is moving his political base to Bellevue, where he will live and base his campaign to unseat Sen. Patty Murray this fall. A generation ago, George Nethercutt and his bride commuted to Seattle by ferry from a cabin on the Kitsap Peninsula, he to build up a new law practice and she to work for the City Council. Today Ne-thercutt is back in the 'burbs, the new kid on the block once again. The Spokane congressman, best known for knocking off a sitting speaker of the House in 1994, has moved to Bellevue and...

OLYMPIA — Dr. Federico Cruz, director of the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, will drop out of the governor's race and endorse Dino Rossi for the Republican nomination, sources told The Associated Press yesterday. Rossi, front-runner for the GOP nod, and Cruz, who has been running a low-key campaign since late July, scheduled a joint news conference today in Olympia. Republican sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said Cruz will defer to Rossi. Others said Rossi is definitely picking up Cruz's support and would solicit his help in wooing Hispanic voters.

<p>OLYMPIA -- Former state Sen. Dino Rossi and Attorney General Christine Gregoire each raised more than $300,000 in December toward their runs for governor, their campaigns said Tuesday.</p> <p>That still leaves Rossi, a Republican, well behind Gregoire, a Democrat. But Rossi can continue to raise money through the winter, while Gregoire is subject to a freeze on raising money.</p>

ISSAQUAH -- Surrounded by the stalwarts of his party, Republican State Sen. Dino Rossi of Sammamish launched his campaign for governor Monday, promising to end a 20-year stretch of Democratic control. ``For the past 20 years, this state has had a fatal flaw -- we're addicted to process,'' Rossi said. ``I say we need a little less process and a little more progress.'' But Rossi says his campaign is an uphill battle, and that he'll have to spend as much as $5 million to tell his story of being a ``fiscal conservative with a social conscience'' to Washington voters from...

Below is a list of each state and its "Political Party statistics", meaning that state's current governor, U.S. Senators, U.S. Congressmen, and who they voted for in the 2000 election.  This is useful data in trying to predict future voting trends.   AlabamaGovernor Bob Riley (R)Senator Richard Shelby (R)Senator Jeff Sessions (R)5 Republican Congressmen2 Democrat Congressmen2000 Election: Bush AlaskaGovernor Frank Murkowski (R)Senator Lisa Murkowski (R)Senator Ted Stevens (R)1 Republican Congressman2000 Election: Bush ArizonaGovernor Janet Napolitano (D)Senator John McCain (R)Senator Jon Kyl (R)6 Republican Congressmen2 Democrat Congressmen2000 Election: Bush ArkansasGovernor Mike Huckabee (R)Senator Blanche Lincoln (D)Senator Mark Pryor (D)3 Democrat Congressmen1 Republican Congressman2000 Election:...

A state lawmaker says that she will seek the Congressional seat being vacated by George Nethercutt, who is running for the U.S. Senate.

Patty Murray is warning K Street donors that she will interpret PAC contributions to Rep. George Nethercutt as a hostile act, even if the donors also give to her campaign.

<p>SPOKANE, Wash. — Republican Rep. George Nethercutt (search), who in 1994 toppled U.S. House Speaker Tom Foley, said Wednesday he will challenge Democratic incumbent Patty Murray (search) for the Senate in 2004.</p> <p>Click to learn more... Nethercutt, 58, a favorite of the White House, will give up his congressional seat to make the run. He said he met last week with President Bush, who encouraged him to get into the race.</p>

Cold feet: Every few months, it seems, Rep. George Nethercutt of Spokane tells the pliant Olympia bureau of The Associated Press that he may run statewide for senator or governor. The AP makes a big deal of it, only to watch Nethercutt later decide to keep the House as home. He may do it again, though Republicans say the nomination to oppose Murray is his for the asking. Guests at a recent fund-raiser co-hosted by ex-Sen. Slade Gorton chief of staff Tony Williams came away convinced Nethercutt won't take on Murray. Absent Nethercutt, local conservative activists are pushing Seattle Pacific...

I just voted in Snohomish County, and had a couple of observations. Turnout seemed typical. I voted at 10:30 am and the voters were mostly Socialist Security recipients and mental cases (like they say, the Short Bus always stops in Everett).I do have some concerns about the new machines. The first is, you have no way of knowing what is actually written to the chip. It could be anything, and the tech industry is not known for their ethics or support for the GOP. Secondly, and I should have prevented this, but they didn't let me put the card into...

The ENEMY forged the stolen steel Delighted at the pain we would soon feel A hot branding iron to burn a 9 and 11 In the hearts of all righteous under Heaven The demons smiled and admired their work Then dedicated it with an unholy curse The plans were laid well, the deceptions intact With stooges called "martyrs" they began the attack They boarded the planes with thin, tight-lipped smiles Politely nodding to each small child - In a short time they’d know TERROR too real When their KILLERS captured the pilot’s wheel May the TWIN TOWERS of bright beacon...

The ENEMY forged the stolen steel Delighted at the pain we would soon feel A hot branding iron to burn a 9 and 11 In the hearts of all righteous under Heaven The demons smiled and admired their work Then dedicated it with an unholy curse The plans were laid well, the deceptions intact With stooges called "martyrs" they began the attack They boarded the planes with thin, tight-lipped smiles Politely nodding to each small child - In a short time they’d know TERROR too real When their KILLERS captured the pilot’s wheel May the TWIN TOWERS of bright beacon...

There are some great radio ads put out by the Republican challenger to Congressman Jim McDermott, Carol Cassady. To listen to them go to: www.cassadyforcongress.com Below is the ad copy. Baghdad Jim Chris: Jim McDermott says the President of the United States will lie to the American people. When he met with Saddam Hussein's emissaries he said the President would mislead the American people. McDermott charecterized Iraq as a "peace-loving" nation whose good intentions must be taken at face value.In Jim McDermott's Bizzarro World, Saddam Hussein is a truthful, peace loving Dictator and George W. Bush is a lying war...

Received this in my email box tonight http://www.rnc.org/flash/bushsavestheday.html

font color="333366" face="baskerville old face" size=5>Attention Washington state voters: Please write-in Judge Steve Alexander for Position 4 on the Washington State Supreme Court. He is the only conservative in the race, and the only candidate who has not received a 100% rating by the Washington National Abortion Rights Action League Please visit JudgeSteveAlexander.com for more details. Forward this message around and help out the grassroots internet effort to elect Judge Alexander.