Sausage Links, money for nothing edition

Was the latest Elway poll a little off? Released Monday, Aug. 4, the poll showed Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire leading Republican challenger Dino Rossi by a whopping 16 points. Today, Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Joel Connelly says Elway "may be wrong." Meanwhile, both candidates are still sparring over Gregoire's recent accusations of racism in a Republican attack ad. Rossi, however, has responded by saying: How could the ads be racist? I'm part Native American myself. ...

The Seattle Times has endorsed incumbent Judge Robin Hunt to re-take her seat in the Division II Court of Appeals today, saying they didn't think her opponent, Tim Ford, was up for the job. However, recent judicial ratings released by the nonpartisan Justice for Washington Foundation say Ford is "well qualified" while Hunt is "unqualified." ...

Cash cow: Want to earn $125? Staff the polls during the Aug. 19 primary election. ...

Cashing in: Democratic congressional candidate Darcy Burner is raising way more money than her Republican opponent, Dave Reichert. ...

Million dollar baby: The Oregon Department of Transportation has unveiled the nation's first solar panel project on a major U.S. highway. ...

Baby, you're so money: A new SurveyUSA poll shows Oregon Republicans are faring much better than many conservatives had hoped, with U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith holding a comfortable 12-point lead over Democratic challenger Jeff Merkley. ...

Money bomb: If you thought Tim Eyman's Initiative 985 would cost taxpayers a lot of money, check out Oregon Republican Kevin Mannix's proposed ballot measure. It would reportedly cost taxpayers more than $2 billion. ...

Money, money, money: And finally, Chris Mulick at the Olympia Dispatch explains why it's important for parties to field candidates — even if they're likely to lose. ...