WA Senate: Nethercutt warms up for race against Murray

[goobergunch]

By JOEL CONNELLY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST

After dancing for months around a prospective challenge to Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., Republican Rep. George Nethercutt of Spokane appears to be lacing up his running shoes.

Nethercutt has enjoyed past flirtations with statewide races, including a Senate run in 1998, always to pull back.

In recent days, however, he has begun to quietly call Republican leaders with word that he wants to go against Murray, according to well-placed Washington, D.C., sources.

The five-term congressman from Eastern Washington -- who once promised to serve only three terms -- has been under intense Bush administration pressure to block Murray's bid for a third term and give a badly needed shot in the arm to the GOP state ticket in the 2004 election.

more...http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/132291_joel25.html

[Generic Other]

1. Lucky Murray

Nethercutt ran on term limits to win his Congressional seat. All Washingtonians routinely make fun of him for refusing to step down when his term was up. Guess we'll be able to help him to do so.

What a joke. Obviously there are no Repub candidates in this state above the level of dog catcher.

[CarlBallard]

12. Dog Catcher

is a county position. But the Secratary of State and Lands Commisioner are Repubs. Although Reed is pretty nonpartisan and Southerland won't win reelection.

[TSIAS]

2. I'm confident about this race

With Dunn not running, this should be a fairly safe Dem seat.

[goobergunch]

5. Murray should be re-elected without too much difficulty...

I just don't like Nethercutt and would be glad to see him out of the House.

[CarlBallard]

3. Can we pick up Nethercutt's seat?

I mean his district (I don't know how much it's changed with re-districting) used to re-elect Foley regularly. Then again if a discraced wacko Republican can keep his seat, and it's in Eastern Washington, it's probably not the most progressive.

[davidinalameda]

4. get a good moderate Dem in there

and the seat could be picked up

[CityDem]

6. Eastern Wash is pretty conservative

Foley kept his seat because he was very powerful as a ranking member on the agriculture committee (lots of pork) and via his rise in the House leadership. Even though Nethercutt broke his term limits pledge he was easily re-elected. Don't hope for any dem pickup here.

Actually, Nethercutt will give Murray a better race than many expect. he is the most credible candidate the repubs have put up in years. Murray should be favored, but her comments about bin laden will be used against her. Depending on what happens at the top of the ticket, this race may be too close to call just prior to the election.

[govegan]

8. Nethercutt credible?

He's about as credible as a spawned out salmon decomposing on the riverbank. He has nothing to contribute and takes up valuable space with the spent shell of his personality.

Anyway, he will not come close to Patty Murray, and his already vacant seat will be up for grabs. Certainly not a given for the Democrats, but not a given for the other side of the aisle either.

[CarlBallard]

9. Who would we run?

I don't know Eastern WA well but it seems to me that the only heavy Democratic area is Spokane. I've never heard of their state reps despite being somewhat of a legislative watcher. They are Alex Wood http://www.leg.wa.gov/house/members/d3_1.htm and Jeff Gombosky http://www.leg.wa.gov/house/members/d3_2.htm If Spokane's mayor is a Dem, do they have any shot? Would anyone give up a seat they have now for what seems like a long shot against whoever the Repubs field?

[election_2004]

7. a couple of nights ago....

I had a really bad dream...I was watching the election returns on Election Night 2004, and I vividly remember a news blip reporting how George Nethercutt had edged out Patty Murray for her U.S. Senate seat in an upset.

I hope this was a dream simply triggered by fear, rather than an actual premonition.

[ButterflyBlood]

10. Murray won big last time

Murray: 58.4%
Linda Smith: 41.6%

I don't see why she'd be considered vulnerable, especially against a wingnut like Nethercutt who'd have one hell of a tough time west of the Cascades.

[CarlBallard]

11. I tend to agree

But it's still healthy to have some pessimism. Nethercut isn't quite as crazy as Smith was. There may well be a Green as well. There are some conservative parts West of the Cascades: the vast streches between Olympia and Vancuver for example. Among other things a Liberatarian candidate and an overcockyness probably cost Slade Gorton his seat a few years ago, and I don't want that to happen to our side.

[ButterflyBlood]

13. Smith is more crazy than Nethercutt?

wow. that's saying a lot. what the hell was she like?

[CarlBallard]

14. She was one of those Hellfire and Brimstone types

She was a religious nutjob (as opposed to a religious normaljob like myself :) ) in the state with the lowest church attendance in the country. At one point in the campaign she called for stoning gays.

[CityDem]

15. Smith was a terrible candidate

She was a religous fundamentalist, which does not sell in the state of Washington. She was from the southwest part of the state which is evenly split in terms of party association - not a strong base in which to carry a statewide race. She had a tough primary and had little campaign money. She was a vocal critic of the US House leadership and was considered a trouble maker within the repub party. Therefore, the national repub senate committee withheld campaign funds which contributed to Smith's lack of money.

Nethercutt is a conservative, but is not viewed as a member of the religious right. He is more along the lines of Slade Gorton. As I said, Murray will be the favorite, but Nethercutt will be a stronger candidate. He will not have a strong primary opponent; will have more money; he has a very solid base of conservative support from his district in eastern Wash.; and is not viewed as a religous zealot. Murray will have a much tougher race than she had in 1998.

[mndemocrat_29]

16. Then we'll all have to help out Patty Murray, won't we?

n/t

[CarlBallard]

18. Here's her webpage

http://www.pattymurray.com It's pretty pathetic, but better that than nothing. I don't see any voulenteer or donation information, but hopefully they'll get their act together before too long. I'm pretty sure the phone number there is still good, so you might want to give a call and ask how you can voulenteer if you live in the state.

[ThorsteinVeblen]

17. Democratics in Washington State need to Politically Destroy Nethercutt

using whatever methods, immoral and deceitful though they maybe, necessary.

We are going to be fighting Karl Rove on this one folks. Karl Rove is the man who accused John McCain of fathering a child with a black prostitute when in fact the child in question was one he and his wife adopted from the Mother Teresa Orphanage in Bangledesh.

Nethercutt should be accused in a push poll of child molestation or something to that effect because that is exactly what Karl Rove is going to do to Patty Murray. We need a pre empitve strike because the Republicans are going to play the hardest of hardball. They think that Murray is vulnerable and they are going to stop at nothing to try and take her Senate seat.

Nethercutt should be mercilessly and ruthlessly destroyed. We can't afford to take this one lying down.