Cornyn Not Done Recruiting In WA
NRSC chair John Cornyn indicated Monday he's got plenty of time to make the race against Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) competitive ahead of its June 11 filing deadline.
Top on the list appears to be ex-state Sen./2-time GOP GOV nominee Dino Rossi, who is considering the race.
"We did have a conversation," Rossi said of conferring with Cornyn about the race. "You never say never."
Rossi said he's gotten calls from all over the country encouraging him to run against Murray: "People I don't know, people I've never met -- you don't get that when you run for governor."
He said the dynamic developing is bigger than just anti-Dem, but centers on Murray's leadership position: "She's an appropriator, so she's one of those responsible for spending America into bankruptcy."
"We're not going to take any lessons on the economy from someone so out of touch that he wants to lower the minimum wage, deregulate industry, and weaken government oversight," DSCC spokesperson Eric Schultz retorted.
Rossi added that nearly every candidate now in the race, including state Sen. Don Benton (R), called him before launching their candidacies and have told him they would get out of the race if he got in.
But he noted that he has four children 19 and younger, and joked, "I do like having dinner at home right now." He went on, "I could run for governor again, Senate, or nothing at all, and I'm comfortable with all 3."
The argument for a Senate run now, he said, is that "the state is in need of help, and if something doesn't change up there, there might not be much of a path left."
Should Rossi decide to stay home, Cornyn said Monday, "There are others who are looking at it -- Susan Hutchinson -- and perhaps there will be others that step up before that filing deadline."
Hutchinson is a philanthropist and former local news anchor whose husband is an executive with Boeing. She waged an unsuccessful battle to become King Co. executive in '09, but she has yet to make up her mind.
"I have decided that I've not decided yet," Hutchison said in a brief interview. She suggested Rossi's answer might be more important than her own.
Please stop interfering with Washington's U.S. Senate race Senator Cornyn! It is not your role to recruit candidates - it is your role to support the candidates Washington voters select via the primary process.
The grassroot conservatives of Washington State would prefer that you and the NRSC stay out of this primary election. We don't need DC politicians deciding who our candidates will be!
- Craig Williams
U.S. Senate Candidate 2010
www.VoteWilliams2010.com
Really Craig! Are you that mad that your not the candidate he chose. I mean seriously you do not have a shot against the already full primary. If Rossi decides to run he would have my vote along with the majority of the grass roots movement in washington. How do you expect to win a senate seat when you only got 4 percent in a county commissioner race.
My opposition to the NRSC's new strategy of having DC politicians and bureaucrats choose our State candidates has nothing to do with my candidacy. State Republican Chairman throughout the country have told the NRSC to stay out of their primary processes and I agree.
I didn't start out looking to enter this race. I started by looking for a major candidate to support - but nobody wanted to waste their time against Patty Murray and her war chest of money. I got in when the primary was empty.
I've been well received by those who get to meet me and hear my message. My supporters know I match up with any candidate in the race in a debate on the issues. I'm enjoying working for liberty and freedom. That's what it's all about for me.
- Craig
Do you honestly think you have a shot at knocking off a three-term incumbent in Sen. Murray? If Reps. Chandler, Smith, and Nethercutt couldn't beat her what makes you think you can? Especially Nethercutt, a giant slayer for taking out Speaker Foley in '94, and who had a strong conservative base. He ran in 2004, a great year for Republicans across the nation and in Washington.
Your pathetic campaign would be quashed by Rossi or any of the Republicans currently in the field. I commend you for trying, all the Republicans in the race will get blasted by Sen. Murray. The party of no, obstructionism, and hyperbole does not stand stand a chance. The NRSC's mission is to recruit strong candidates and expand the Senate Battleground. They are doing their job and don't want no-name candidates to win the nomination with no chance in hell of winning in the general.
You never lose when you fight for liberty and freedom with good people all over the State.
A love of freedom is why I'm in this race, and working with the people in the grassroots is what makes my "pathetic" campaign so wonderful.
We may have disagreements on some issues, but we are all Americans and we need to work together to keep the boat from sinking.
I hope to meet you on the campaign trail!
- Craig
Spend more time working on an effective campaign instead of engaging with people on a blog comment board!
I have no idea who I'd vote for -- I just want Murray gone. But I will say this. Cornyn has every right to try to recruit Rossi -- candidate recruitment is, in fact, Cornyn's job. And certainly, other candidates have the right to complain about the process. And Rossi has the right to decide for himself whether or not he wants to enter the race. I really don't see what the big deal is.
I see others so quick to slam Craig Williams, are they Dems that will vote for Murray anyway? It sure sounds like it. I would rather see Rossi in as Governor than a Senator. I think that we should repeal the 14th amendment and not vote for the Senator but let them be appointed as the Constitution intended them to be! Go Ctaig Williams and Go Clint Didier too!
Sen. Cornyn should get Ms. Hutchison's name straight before he begins any serious recruitin'.
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I hope Dino Rossi or Susan Hutchison runs! The current Republican candidates have zero chance of winning, and they’re not qualified. They’re just running for their own egos. Rossi is qualified; he was an excellent state senator. He only lost the gubernatorial race because of the anti-Bush mood, Obama wave, and poor performance of John McCain and Sarah Palin – all national stuff that was out of his control.
Dino Rossi, and perhaps Hutchison, can defeat Patty Murray. It will take an impressive Republican candidate, not just any Republican. Washington is still a blue state, albeit competitive. We have a Republican attorney general and secretary of state!