Can Republicans Take On Cantwell?
The biggest news nugget in the otherwise sleepy Washington Senate race this week was the emergence of Scott Stanzel, a former George W. Bush spokesman, as a possible candidate against Sen. Maria Cantwell, who unlike many other Democratic incumbents, looks to be in very solid shape in her 2012 reelection bid. While Washington leans Democratic, Republicans have fielded competitive statewide candidates in recent years. But so far, no one has stepped up to take on Cantwell.
First elected in 2000, Cantwell won reelection in 2006 with 57 percent of the vote. She polls well and has a healthy $2.26 million in the bank. Democrats say part of her success is due to the issues she has worked on in the Senate, which resonate with voters back home in the Evergreen State.
"Her focus has been energy, environment, technology. If anything, she comes from technology," said veteran Democratic strategist Cathy Allen. "She's been someone who is at the forefront of what does technology mean in terms of everything from privacy issues to exactly what we are doing with taxation issues."
While no major Republican is currently running against Cantwell, the GOP have landed top statewide recruits in the recent years, and have done so this cycle in two other races. Attorney General Rob McKenna, who is running for governor, is a popular politician who even ran ahead of President Obama statewide in 2008. And King County Council Member Reagan Dunn is a big get in the race to replace McKenna as AG. Some Democrats say the GOP focus in those two races means the Senate race gets less attention from the party.
"It just takes so much that the Republican Party is actually doing something pretty smart," said Allen. "What they are deciding to do is to put all their eggs in one basket, and it's called the governor's race."
Republicans counter that the economic climate makes Cantwell more vulnerable than most people think.
"I think if the economy is still as bad as it was in 2010 or worse, and I don't think it's going to get much better, I think with a solid candidate, I think Maria is very vulnerable," said Washington GOP chairman Kirby Wilbur.
But finding that candidate is so far proving to be a difficult task, with several names - none of them blue chip recruits - mulling bids, but not yet comitting to running. Stanzel says he will make a decision on the Senate race after his wedding in September. Another possibility is Susan Hutchinson, a former television news anchor and King County Executive candidate. Seattle Port Commissioner Bill Bryant's name is also mentioned and John Stanton, a wealthy former telecommunications executive, is another name has surfaced in political circles, though Wilbur says he has not talked to Stanton about the Senate race.
Whoever runs against Cantwell faces a very steep uphill climb because of the state's Democratic tilt, the senator's campaign coffers and myriad other reasons, including, Democrats say, her aptitude on the camapign trail.
"She is much more willing to do what it takes to get out there and camapign where others are much more steeped in policy," said Allen.
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