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Newspapers from around the region have endorsed Barack Obama for president, most agreeing that the Democratic presidential candidate is prepared and able to bring a necessary wave of changes to Washington, D.C. But in Washington state, a wave of Obama "change" voters doesn't necessarily ensure state Democrats' safety. Some pundits, including myself, speculate that the Obama mantra could end up helping Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi.
The biggest Rossi endorsement came this past weekend, with the editorial board at the Seattle Times recommending Rossi would be better suited to fix the state's budget woes than Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire. The Tri-City Herald, the Yakima Herald-Republic, and Walla Walla Union-Bulletin have also endorsed the Republican. What's more troubling for Gregoire, however, is that all four pro-Rossi papers have also endorsed Obama, suggesting the Obama-Rossi voter could be a force to be reckoned with on election day.
Still, Gregoire has received a majority of state newspapers' endorsements, including recommendations from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Spokesman Review in Spokane, Tacoma's News Tribune, The Olympian, The Oregonian in Portland, and the Everett Herald. That bodes well for Gregoire, especially because the Spokesman Review is Eastern Washington's biggest newspaper. But the question is who voters in those cities — east and west — will attach to Obama's coattails, whether Rossi has successfully marketed himself as the change-we-can-believe-in candidate. If he has, it may be enough for him to win the governorship.
Here's a few odds and ends from this slow political news day.
Whoops: Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said today he is "very sorry" that presidential candidate Ralph Nader's name was spelled incorrectly on each Clark County ballot. ...
Will of the editors: In a major blow to the candidacy of Democratic challenger Darcy Burner, Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert has received endorsements from all three major papers in his district — the News Tribune, The Seattle Times, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. ...
Willy-Nilly: In the wake of last week's KIRO 7 News investigation which revealed about 24,000 convicted felons in Washington state have received ballots for this year's election, Dave Ammons, the director of communications for the secretary of state, says his office is "doing the best" it can to see if the felons' voting rights have been restored, cautioning, however, that simply removing the felons' voting rights would almost certainly mean disenfranchising some people who can legally, in fact, vote. ...
And finally, a 25-foot piece of concrete guardrail fell off the Alaska Way Viaduct this morning after being struck by a truck. No one was injured, but the Washington State Department of Transportation has closed traffic near the Seneca Street off-ramp to repair the barrier. By the way, how's that Viaduct replacement plan coming along guys? ...
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Comments:
Posted Mon, Oct 20, 4:47 p.m. Inappropriate
I would love to see stats on the effect of newspaper endorsements on the way people actually vote. Will the Spokesman-Review's endorsement of Gregoire really hurt Rossi east of the Cascades, for example? Or will the Times' having gone for Rossi really boost him in Seattle?
Posted Mon, Oct 20, 5:30 p.m. Inappropriate
As you would expect, newspaper endorsements don't have much of a real effect on voters. An endorsement is, to some extent, an indication of the preferences of a newspaper's local audience. Now, the Spokesman Review endorsement probably won't change many votes in Spokane, just as the Seattle Times endorsement probably won't change many in Seattle. But editorial boards are made of voters too, and their opinions are representative of some voters in their region.
It's not the endorsement that's making the voters decide. But the endorsement shows what a region's voters could decide. The point here is Obama-Rossi voters are out there, even in Seattle, and they could be a force on election day.
Posted Mon, Oct 20, 7:35 p.m. Inappropriate
"In a major blow to the candidacy of Democratic challenger Darcy Burner, Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert has received endorsements from all three major papers in his district"
I think you give too much weight to these editorial endorsements. I highly doubt many people will be making up their mind based on what a Blethen or a Horsey or a Seago think.
Posted Tue, Oct 21, 1:41 p.m. Inappropriate
Clark,
Of course Rossi/Obama voters are out there. Undoubtedly, there are probably Nader/Gregoire voters too, and any other combo you can name. The question is, are the numbers significant or just an idea talked up by Rossi? In other words, please cite a little more than your own, apparent gut hunch. Otherwise, it's just dinner table speculation. In fact, Elway in his latest poll shows it isn't much of a factor.
Posted Tue, Oct 21, 9:04 p.m. Inappropriate
Here's a Danny Westneat article from Oct. 8.
"Obama!" she exclaimed, when I came into her Issaquah Highlands beauty salon to ask about her political favorites.
A brand-new voter, excited about the top of the ticket. You'd think that would be great news for Democrats.
So how about for governor?
"I like that Dino Rossi," she said. "I don't know for sure how I will vote. But most people who come in just like Dino."
Welcome to Gov. Chris Gregoire's nightmare. Issaquah and dozens of fast-growing suburbs like it figure to be her main hurdle to winning the 2008 Gregoire v. Rossi rematch.
I can't say how they will vote. But there's something about Gregoire that doesn't feel like it's connecting in the political "swingtowns" of suburban King and Pierce counties. Or maybe something about Rossi that is.
Four years ago, Gregoire and Rossi essentially tied in one of the closest elections in U.S. history. To understand why a Democratic governor had such trouble in such a blue state, you can start by looking here.
Of course it's speculation. But for a year when Democrats should be wiping the table, the Washington gubernatorial race is a dead tie. Even more disturbing for the Gregoire: While McCain loses ground, Rossi gains.
Posted Wed, Oct 22, 9:57 a.m. Inappropriate
Clark, what can I say. A story by Westneat out of Rossi's home base absolutely provides a strong foundation for your speculation. Nice work!
Posted Wed, Oct 22, 4:28 p.m. Inappropriate
See here for more discussion of the Obama-Rossi voter.
http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/18592/