Angie Vogt at Red County Washington has posted an exclusive one-on-one interview with Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi. However, don't expect attacks like those seen in Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire's interview with the Stranger last week – this one is fairly vanilla. From the start, Rossi channels the Obama-patented change mantra, saying "this election is not about me, it's not about Christine Gregoire; it's about changing the culture and direction of state government for a generation." It may be a sign Rossi is looking to court more independent voters like this. Or that he's sticking to the high road for now. His campaign, however, isn't so sure he'll be ahead after Tuesday's primary election. But they aren't worried. ...
While Rossi was taking interviews, Gregoire was hitting the bar. The Washington state governor showed up last night to liberal bloggers' weekly brewfest Drinking Liberally, along with Democratic congressional candidate Darcy Burner. Joel Connelly at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer breaks down Gregoire's stump speech comments, while Horse's Ass and NW Progressive have pictures. ...
Exit stage Right: U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., will step down from his role as honorary co-chair of Republican Sen. John McCain's campaign in Oregon, amidst speculation that he's trying to distance himself from the Republican brand. In previous weeks, Smith aired campaign ads claiming he had the support of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. Smith has also said he will not be attending the Republican National Convention in September. ...
Enter stage Libertarian: Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi is trying to win support from Texas Rep. Ron Paul's fan base. ...
Tears: A day after the Washington State Patrol was named the best police agency in the nation, a man who helped get them there – agency legend and former WSP chief Will Bachofner – died in a car wreck. ...
Forewarned: Auditors from around the state expect huge voter turnout for the "top-two" primary. ...
Fears: Still have questions about the top-two primary format? Seattle Times reporter Susan Gilmore has the answers. ...
Stained glass ceiling: According to an independent study, Idaho may not be the best place for women to get a top job in a government office. Gov. Butch Otter, however, says that's not the case. ...
Walking on broken glass: Oregon House Speaker and Democratic candidate for Senate Jeff Merkley got caught yesterday for being unaware of Russia's invasion of Georgia. ...
Two-for-three: According to the latest ACT test scores, Washington and Idaho are pretty good places to go to school. Oregon, on the other hand, is not. ...
Three-point shot: And finally, coming to a Democratic National Convention near you will be U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's brother-in-law, Oregon State University basketball coach Craig Robinson. ...
