Posted on 11/03/2004 1:14:44 PM PST by bushisdamanin04
Wednesday, November 3, 2004
Ross concedes defeat to Reichert in 8th District
By CHRIS McGANN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER CAPITOL CORRESPONDENT
Republican Dave Reichert's reputation as King County sheriff, combined with ample advice and money from national operatives, prevailed in his bid for Congress in the 8th District.
Dave Ross conceded his 8th Congressional District race Wednesday morning.
Appearing on KIRO Radio in Seattle, his longtime venue as a talk-show host, Ross congratulated his opponent and said he intended to remain "an independent voice for common sense." Ross said he had called Reichert to concede.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting but thousands of absentee ballots to be tallied early Wednesday, the top cop famous for his decades-long, successful hunt for the Green River killer led Ross 52 percent to 47 percent; Libertarian Spencer Garrett had 2 percent.
Reichert was happy voters endorsed his message, spokesman Josh Mathis said Wednesday.
"We ran a positive campaign about the issues that Dave Reichert wants to go back to Congress and work on - protecting our homeland, creating jobs and fixing our traffic problems. We're very happy to see that the voters reacted positively to that message. Dave is very excited to continue his public service in Washington, D.C.," Mathis said.
Despite returning to his former job today, Ross, one of the Northwest's most popular drive-time voices, said life has changed in one big way since he decided to run. "Now I'm recognized absolutely everywhere I go," he said.
Advertisements for and against both candidates flooded the airwaves for weeks.
Throughout the campaign, polls showed Reichert leading the race, but Ross made headway, narrowing the margin to within 4 percentage points the week before the election.
Monday, Ross said no matter the outcome, he was glad he made a run for office.
"I have enjoyed every minute of it," he said. "I came very close to saying no -- thank goodness I said yes, because this has been the experience of a lifetime."
Democrats viewed Reichert, who opposes abortion, gun control and ending the Bush tax cuts, as too conservative for a district that includes everything from trailers in rural Pierce County to mansions on Mercer Island. But Reichert's victory continues a lock on a seat that Republicans have enjoyed since the district's creation. He will succeed Republican Rep. Jennifer Dunn, who is retiring.
After the September primary, Reichert's run for Congress was transformed from a rather clumsy affair that focused primarily on security and his work solving the Green River murders into a toned-down and deliberate campaign.
In the last weeks, Reichert appeared in a slick ad in which he referred to his pride in the Sheriff's Office and cutting the budget while maintaining 911 service. He only indirectly referred to Ross.
At the same time the National Republican Congressional Committee dumped more than $3 million -- more than three times the amount raised by the Reichert campaign -- into attack ads against Ross.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent $2.3 million on ads bashing Reichert.
Going into the election, there were 19 Republican open seats and 14 Democratic open seats in Congress.
Bo Harmon, spokesman for the Republican committee, said that when control of Congress hangs so closely in the balance, every open seat becomes a priority.
But Harmon said the campaign committee liked Reichert for more than just his Republican Party affiliation.
"It's also an opportunity for somebody with a tremendous amount of expertise on crime control and security issues to make a real difference in Congress from the moment he walks in the door," Harmon said.
What took this midget (mentally and physically) so long?
No kidding. What is he, about 4'9"?
With a face for radio.
Great news! I met Reichert a few months back and he seemed like a terrific candidate. He also has arms like tree trunks.
I met him a few years ago....swell guy, and a great American.
Ross is a leftwing radio talk show host (KIRO 710, AM). He was endorsed by the Puget Sounds’ “Big 3” – the Seattle PI; Seattle Times; and The [Tacoma] News Tribune. The endorsements of these folks came despite Ross’ giant intellect. As reported in the PI, this occurred at a Democratic gathering during the primaries:
”It's clear that Ross considers himself above political or policy nitty-gritty and ready for coronation. His blithe health-care proposal is that we put our medical bills on credit cards and let government reimburse "necessary expenses." Many low- and middle-income people have no credit cards. Beyond that there are such matters as cost, privacy, financing charges or who would decide what health care charges were "necessary." When quizzed about his plan at a 48th District Democratic meeting, Ross said he had no obligation to offer details and walked off the stage.”
Despite this display of towering intellectual ability by leftwing extremist Ross, The [Tacoma] News Tribune, actually had the gall to make the following endorsement of Ross:
”We’ll put our money on Ross, who is intellectually nimble and demonstrates an impressive grasp of regional and national issues.”
The editorial page editor at the TNT is a hack named David Seago. In fact, “hack” is obviously giving him too much credit. Can you imagine the reaction if a conservative candidate had said he had no obligation to provide facts and walked off the stage? Seago and his ilk are beyond the pale.
As one who lived in the Puget Sound area for 19 years, none of that surprises me.
Hahahahaha! How in the world does Seago manage to look in the mirror every morning? His paycheck should come directly from Washington's Dummycratic Party -- cut out the middle man.
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