| Governor candidates debate at Semiahmoo Jon
Gambrell, The Bellingham Herald BLAINE - Trading jabs and touting their credentials, Republican Dino Rossi and Democrat Christine Gregoire squared off in Washington's first gubernatorial debate Wednesday night. Facing questions ranging from business and growth to governmental reform, the two candidates spoke before a crowd of 260 at the annual Association of Washington Business policy summit meeting at the Inn at Semiahmoo. "I believe in the capacity of people to solve problems," said Gregoire, who has been Washington's attorney general since 1992. "We deserve better. I've spent my career solving problems in the state Legislature. I won't hesitate to blow past the bureaucracy." But to Rossi, Gregoire represents "the status quo." Claiming his years working in commercial real estate sales prepared him to be a responsible governor, Rossi accused his opponent of being an Olympia insider. "I am a pro-business candidate and a pro-job candidate," the seven-year state senator said. "I want to see entrepreneurs be entrepreneurs again." While discussing health care, Rossi said he wants to offer Washington as many companies as possible to choose from for health-care coverage. However, Gregoire said she wanted to bring pooled health-care purchases to all in the state who want to be covered. She also said she would support Washington citizens crossing the border to purchase cheaper prescription medications in Canada. "Dino did propose taking 40,000 children off of health care," Gregoire said. "Let's be honest about what the record reflects." Rossi later said his budget work brought more children into health care. "No matter what skewed voting record you look at, I am proud of my record," he said. Though Gregoire said she would support some tort reform to go after the worst offenders, Rossi said he wanted to stop frivolous lawsuits and large rewards for punitive damages. He said while Gregoire was in office, the state paid twice as much for settlements against the state than at any other time in history. But Gregoire said her work as attorney general brought forth one of the largest settlements against the tobacco industry. She also suggested using that money to seed stem cell research to boost the state's biotechnology industry. "Dino, I'm very disappointed you will not support stem cell research in Washington," she said. "Stem cell research has a potential for us to lead the nation in the fight against Alzheimer's, juvenile diabetes and Parkinson's disease. If we don't lead this nation, who will? I'm not willing to give up jobs to California. We have an opportunity to lead the nation and we should." The candidates also discussed the Growth Management Act, with Gregoire supporting protecting the environment and Rossi saying rural areas are being choked out of development by some of the provisions. In closing remarks, Gregoire said her administration would "hit the ground hard" in January and work to bring change to Olympia. "No special interest will be getting special treatment," she said. "Let's get Washington moving in the right direction again." But Rossi said change wouldn't come with Gregoire in office. He said his approach would bring more businesses to Washington. "This election comes down to picking two candidates - one of them who spent 22 years in the private sector," he said. "I don't look for a big government solution for everything. That is what my opponent represents. You are going to have to pick someone who can turn this business climate around. I figure I have four years to turn this state around. I'm not going to worry about re-election." Reach Jon Gambrell at jonathan.gambrell@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2263. RELATED STORY: Whatcom County holds first gubernatorial debate - Rossi serves, Gregoire returns KENNETH P. VOGEL; The News Tribune September 24, 2004
BLAINE, Whatcom County - With polls showing a statistical tie in the race for governor, candidates Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi went after each other's strengths Thursday night in their first debate.
Gregoire, the Democrat, has touted her high-profile successes as the state's attorney general. But Republican Rossi on Thursday blamed her for several large payouts in lawsuits against the state and said she's made it harder to do business in Washington.
Rossi, a former state senator who is a commercial real estate broker, has built his campaign around bringing together disparate factions to institute common-sense business reforms. But Gregoire suggested he's beholden to business interests - and that she's the candidate in the best position to bring together business and labor.
The debate was hosted by the Association of Washington Business, whose members tend to back Republicans, and Rossi got a much warmer response than Gregoire.
"So many in this room have helped in so many ways," Rossi told association members, who interrupted him several times with applause.
Rossi contrasted his up-from-the-bootstraps life story with Gregoire's, saying, "My opponent's been in government all her adult life." That puts him in better position to understand the challenges faced by businesses and to work to make state government more sensitive to them, he said.
Gregoire found no fault with her long involvement in government.
In an emotional refrain, she said that even though "I am not a rich person," like Rossi, her time in government has made her "rich inside" and proved her willingness to buck the status quo.
She rattled off a list of achievements, including fighting to make the federal government clean up radioactive waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and helping to lead negotiations of a $206 billion settlement of a 46-state lawsuit against the tobacco industry.
"That's not status quo, that's leadership," she said.
Rossi touted his plan to reduce business regulations by 5 percent in his first year as governor by establishing a two- or three-person office of regulatory reform in his first week in office and by appointing business-friendly agency heads.
Gregoire, he said, has only two connections to business: "Number one, suing it, and number two, writing the regulations that made us the fifth-most-regulated state in the nation."
Rossi criticized Gregoire for promising labor unions "a seat at the table" when decisions affecting their members are made. But Gregoire, who's been endorsed by most major unions, turned Rossi's criticism against him.
In her opening statement, she reiterated her promise, extending the same one to the business community. And, addressing Rossi, she added, "It makes me wonder, Dino, who is it you intend to lock out during the time that you're negotiating ... solutions to their problems?"
Rossi, who's trying to become the first Republican governor since 1984, has worked to portray Gregoire as representing a failed status quo.
Gregoire went after Rossi's own record in government, particularly his stewardship of the Senate budget writing committee, for which he's won plaudits that he's incorporated into his campaign.
He tried to cut from the budget $50 million in Medicaid funding, which would have eliminated health care coverage for nearly 40,000 low-income children, Gregoire said.
Rossi pointed out that the final budget actually added 10,000 children to the program, "so let's get our numbers straight first," he shot back. The two went back and forth several times on the issue, with Rossi saying, "Let's go back to that 40,000. I'm not going to let that go."
A poll released this week by The News Tribune was encouraging for Rossi, who started his campaign far less well-known than Gregoire, who's won three statewide elections for attorney general.
The poll showed a statistical tie: Gregoire led Rossi 49 to 43 percent, a margin within the poll's 4.9 percentage-points margin of error. That means either number could be that much higher or lower.
Gregoire has tried to portray Rossi as too conservative to appeal to the moderate Democrats and independents whose support he would need to win.
Democrat Christine Gregoire and Republican Dino Rossi have agreed to meet in three more debates:
Oct. 12: Yakima, sponsored by the Yakima Herald-Republic Oct. 13: Seattle, sponsored by KING TV and The Seattle Times Oct. 17: Seattle, sponsored by The News Tribune, KIRO TV and The Herald of Everett
Taped replay
Thursday night's debate was taped and is scheduled to be broadcast
at 8:30 p.m. tonight (Friday) on TVW, the state government's public
affairs channel.
|