This is a quick look at the 5 main candidates currently running for the United States Senate against Patty Murray. I say main candidates because, Wayne Glover a trucker , and Rod Rieger have created websites but neither have gained much traction. This is the race that will be at the top of the ticket in Washington and so far the media claims that the GOP has struggled to come up with a credible candidate.
I am currently undecided in this race, but wanted to lay out the negatives and positives of each candidate as I saw them. I will do a post in the future as to some of the key differences between them on policy issues. A strong race against Patty Murray is crucial because she is the most liberal member of the US Senate. It is also crucial because the Republican nominee will be at the top of our parties ticket in 2010, and it is important we have a strong showing to help our congressional and state legislative candidates. Please comment below and be sure to vote in the unofficial straw poll. Come November 2010 we absolutely must get Patty Murray out of there, but who is the best man (or woman) for the job?
Published author of 12 books, business success speaker, former minister, good friends with Dino Rossi. Seems to be connected with the business and political community alike. Just got back from a trip to DCwhere he met with the NRSCC, the Chamber of Commerce, John McCain and Jim Demint, Widener also recently signed the ATR no tax pledge. If he runs, he would seem to be the establishment candidate (meaning Rob Mckenna, Dino Rossi and the party regulars would most likely support his candidacy).
Pros- effective communicator, contacts from speaking across the globe and to business groups throughout the state, tech savvy, founder of Positively Republican Facebook page, largest Republican group on Facebook with over 160,000 members fundraising connections, possibly able to partially self fund
Cons- will voters connect with a success/motivational speaker? can he raise the money? will he run?
Facebook- 2,450 supporters on his political page, almost 5,000 friends on his personal profile
News story from the Seattle PI
Clint Didier (exploratory)
with website listing an announcement on Jan 11th
Pasco WA, Married with 4 kids, 50
Edmonds WA, 43, married with one daughter,
Served in the Navy, a physical therapist and small business owner, Sean is passionate about reaching out and bringing minorities into the GOP.
Sean has been running since October of 2008 and has raised $34,000 as of October 1st. Of the candidates filing reports he has raised the most thus far.
Pros- young, very passionate, hard working grassroots campaigner, had 20 volunteers at the Glenn Beck Event in Seattle
Con- not enough money, low name ID, dropped out of a Congressional Race in California in 2000 just days before the primary election
Facebook -825 friends on his profile, doesn’t have a political fb page
Craig Williams
Vancouver Washington, married with 6 kids, 44
Energy Trader and Realtor, in 2008 ran for Clark County Commissioner and received 1,381 votes or 4.8% of votes cast. also ran for Congress in the Democratic Primary in 1994 and got 18% against incumbent Jay Inslee, who went on to lose to Hastings.
Pros- has arguably the most conservative message, 1,000 plus facebook supporters
Cons- he lost a county commissioner election miserably, low name recognition, money- had raised $4,000
Facebook -1029 supporters on his political page
Dr. Arthur Coday
Shoreline, WA Unknown
Art is a primary care physician who cares mainly for Medicare and Medicaid patients.
Was involved in Dino Rossi’s 2004 election challeneg, Art actually filed the paperwork to challenge the election results.
Pros – a Doctor with an MD from Harvard, history of involvement in the party
Cons- Low name recognition, ability to raise money, smallest facebook supporters currently
Facebook -42 supporters; he joined the race on Dec 6th
If this is the best the republicans can do, Patty can stay in DC and still be a shoein
Grumpy… you may have a point. But someone needs to make a strong run to at least make her spend money in Washington.
I'm not a WA resident, but didn't Patty run initially on a silly slogan regarding a mom in tennis shoes? IIRC, she isn't known to be particularly bright, but is certainly a loyal and reliable Leftie.
There isn't a single lawyer among the GOP challengers. That is a good thing. I would probably welcome any of them to the Republican caucus.
Yes that was her motto. It worked too
I've interviewed all five candidates, spending about 2 hours one-on-one with each candidate. I've posted articles for each interview on my blog at RedCounty.com (except for my interview with Clint Didier, which was completed just this morning). Here are the links to each interview:
Chris Widener – http://bit.ly/5XWLz5
Craig Williams – http://bit.ly/8gkaZ6
Art Coday – http://bit.ly/7rteTs
Sean Salazar – http://bit.ly/7Ga6wB
Clint Didier – to be posted in the next 24-48 hours
Dr. Sean Salazar has been registered and campaigning since Oct. 2008. He was the first candidate to register in the Nation for the 2010 mid term election. He did not explore the possibility. He jumped into the race with his whole heart and spirit! His passion and unparralled knowledge of Politics make him a foredable opponent to Patty Murry! His ability to win in King county is the key to his succsess. No other candidate can deliver that prospect. The only reason that Dr. Salazar is not leading in this pole is that his supporters have yet to vote in this survey. To learn more on why Dr. Salazar is the perfect man at the perfect time to win this seat back, go to seanforsenate.com and get to know him, then get involved!
Thanks for the comment Roma! We will leave the survey open until Jan 1st 2010 then I will do a blog post summarizing the results… that gives all the campaigns plenty of time to get their supporters to vote. I am interested to see who has the most support at this early point in the race. For me Sean is indeed a very passionate candidate but if he wants to beat Patty he needs to be able to raise more money. He has been in the race for over a year and I have heard him speak, but he has only raised $30,000 which is not going to get the job done.
I have watched Sean's enthusiasm and his commitment to changing the political scene; not only for the Democratic takeover of government, but in our own party. My husband has the ability to unite people from all backgrounds and political affiliations. That is exactly why I fell in love with him. His passion and his ability to relentlessly pursue what he believes in are inspiring and contagious.
So far Mr Salazar would seem to be the man for the job but I have some serious questions that I need answers to before I can get behind him. The rumor over here in the Yakima valley is that he is a big supported of LaRaza. I'd like to know just where he stands on the immigration issue before I can give him my full hearted support.
Duane, here is some info re: his views on immigration. What do you think?
From Sean Salazar’s website: http://seanforsenate.com
FACT:
The current problems with unauthorized immigration are:
? Numbers of unauthorized immigrants
? Cost of health care
? Cost of incarceration of convicted unauthorized immigrants
? Unfair workforce competition for unions
? Persons from terrorist-alert nations blending in with migrating immigrants
SOLUTION:
As a U.S. Senator, I shall propose a bill that will implement a guest worker pass for 15-20 million immigrants with priority to those who are already here. It will be based on a simple application and fee. The immigrant must provide proof of Mexican, Canadian, or country-of-origin citizenship and have no criminal history in the United States or elsewhere. An ID number will be provided, and the pass must be renewed every year.
Benefits of the Guest Worker Pass (GWP)
? Identification of who is in the country
? Reduction in number of immigrants without GWP
? Heavy fines if companies hire immigrants without GWP
? Less expense in administering and maintaining the program
? Unhindered border passes for immigrants with GWP
? Legal tax base for Social Security established
? No federal government subsidizing of immigrant health insurance, although states may choose to do so
? Loss of GWP if immigrant is convicted of a felony, the length of time to be determined by the type of crime
Note: My recommendation would be a significant improvement over the old GWP that was suspended years ago.
Revitalizing
I encourage everyone that visits this poll to vote for Sean Salazar.
The Republican party has failed to reach out to communities that are traditionally conservative but vote for liberals solely because Republicans don't ask these communities to get involved. Sean has reached out to America's Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Russian communities that have NEVER been asked to get invoked and they are new voters that will line up and support conservative candidates.
Sean says "We do a great job of campaigning to our base and losing state wide elections, what we need to do is spread out message to new voters who believe in us, so we can grow the party and win!"
I was first attracted to Sean at a conservative gathering where there were giant signs at both ends of the hallway so it was impossible to miss him. There was also an enthusiastic group of volunteers. This is the first time I remember anyone running in WA who was so visible and approachable. I checked his positions on his web site & liked what I saw.____He is a conservative, free-market, small government, constituionalist candidate. And, for me it's important that he's not an establishment Republican candidate. Sean is articulate, passionate and honest. He's visible and he has already developed a fast-growing campaign.________________So, in short, I support Sean because he supports all the right issues, has a good campaign that's visible, approachable and enthusiastic. He has a plan to win and an entire set of proposals for turning the nation back to its roots. His campaign manager told me he'd come home before he'd compromise his principals in DC so there is hope he would remember who sent him there.
The party is looking for a candidate with name recognition and money. I'd like a candidate with the right principles, the abiliity to communicate and lead, and a strong moral compass. We all want to unseat Murray. What if we pick the candidate with the best qualities and then help him or her get the name recognition and money – wouldn't this lead to longer term success for the party? We need people that will stay true to their values after elected, we've seen what happens when we follow the current recipe.
I'm a supporter of Craig Williams. I believe Craig has the right combination of conservative principles, the ability to communicate them and formulate real and workable plans, and he has a very strong moral foundation.
I agree with selecting "the candidate with the best qualities and then help him or her get the name recognition and money." Both Craig Williams and Sean Salazar should be on the top of the list. They are the ones who were serious about this, drove right in, and have worked hard in the last few months. I have not seen any other of the guys campaigning in the East side of the mountains.
Craig will be in Spokane again tonight, all are welcome. Starts at 6:30pm 7826 N. Market Street, Spokane, WA, 99217
Please come!
I met Didier at the Sarah Palin book signing in Richland. He was kind and met literally everyone in line. We are talking about 3000 people! But I have to say so far I like Salazar. He is doing a great job getting his name out there. I am more interested in a candidate with passion who believes in what he is doing over someone with a long list of credentials.
Where is the Washington State GOP???? I went to the Tea Party in Puyallup and a young man gave me Sean Salazar's card. My wife and I really enjoyed that first and ony Tea Party so far. Over 5,000 were in attendance, but no one actually politicing for a state wide office???
I'm not even sure if we have an active GOP in this state that works as the county or city levels. I live in Westport, WA and there are hardly ever a GOP Candidate even on our ballots.
My point is, we need a central Party (I don't really care what you call it) that helps vet all the candidates for State Office an hopefully for other major positions like congresspersons. 2010 could be our last chance for real "Change" in the next several years. I am voting for Sean at this time, but I really hope we take this election a lot more serioud!!
My husband and I were also at the tea party. we also attended the picnic on Mercer Island and Sean was there and spoke.
I will alwase want to vote for the common person that attends a tea party because i feel they are most like me and have my views. But the reality is that a true conservative messsage can win over independants and moderate democrates if the person can deliver it correctly.I first thought salazzar but he dosn't make me feel like he is naturaly tough and stonch on his beleifes and you need that in order to stand up for your views and demand respect.A tea party atendee is passionate about their beliefes and that is the best coice because peopl want to be involved with the excitement.
Salazar is not afraid to take on the Fremont district in Seattle, where the statue of Lenin, mass murderer of the Soviet Union's Communist party, stands. Salazar is not afraid to debate differing viewpoints. Who has the best chance of winning in Seattle? That is what it will take to defeat Patty Murray. I am placing my bet on Salazar and I am putting on my walking shoes to help him.
I agree with Grumpy – if these are the best candidates we can come up with – Patty may as well renew her lease
Salazar is the man. He can attract votes from a diverse group of voters statewide but especially in Seattle. It is time the grass roots nominated a candidate and not the party big wigs. How have the party bigwig candidates done lately? Time for change.
If you did not requirer a phone number you would get more money, I for one will not send money and my phone. number
gerry, I am not sure what you are referring to. Nowhere on our site do we require or ask for money.
Salazar seems to be offering just another form of amnesty for illegals. I don't care how "passionate" you are if you are passionately wrong. I would vote for the football player who knows you have to play by the RULES of the game and not change the plays to please the leftist spectators and protestors. Someone said that they wanted to see Patty at least have to spend some money! Wow! She already knows how to do that – she spends yours and mine freely in DC every day!
Hey Patriot; Just like health care and cap&tax, the Democrats will be jamming Amnesty through asap for there re election. We have two choices, #1 Devise a fare plan of action that will engage the upstanding, hard working, family oriented hispanic people who want to become part of our great Country. (wich if you read Salazrs plan you'll find it fare to all) or #2 Have a hard nose approach wich will undouptedly appear biggotted and effectivly ensure the death of any conservative movement. With 20 million new voters, the Dems will have power the likes of wich, we will never recover from! The insight and wisdom of becoming the party of the hispnic voter, is critical to the survival of our Nation! That is the reality we face. If someone anywhere has a better plan than Salazar, I have yet to see it!
we said that… we meant, we need a strong candidate who will force Patty to campaign, face the voters and spend her own money. we are also tired of her wildly spending our money. I hope that clarifies. Also we do believe she can be beaten, it will just take lots of hard work from grassroots conservatives like those voting in this poll.
clearly you dont know what amnesty is. A guest worker program is not citizenship.
I agree Murray has to go.
I viewed Williams brochure and I was unhappy when I saw the same old same old-how the heck can one balance the budget anyway???? He was approachable though.
As for Salazar, have you asked him easy questions that he fails to answer pointedly?
Anyway, it is good to see people running just the same-it would be a shame if hardly anyone stepped up to the plate.
People, it is all about state rights and Congress is not going to protect them, we need to protect them ourselves here in the Evergreen state. What ever happened to the Constitution Militia of the “several states”?
I wish Williams had Salazar’s energy, but I’ll still go with Williams as at this point in the disaterous ecomonic times we need someone more in tune with energy policy and global economics. If it takes more work to get the right candidate on the ticket then it’s time we forget our differences and roll up our sleeves, or save our money, fold up our tents, and go to Aruba.
I've looked at the Evergreen Report's Straw Poll. None of the candidates listed have any public service experience. They've never been voted [by ANY public] into a position of public responsibility and now they want to represent us in arguably one of the most powerful governmental bodies in the nation. They must either have the biggest ego, the deepest pockets, wealthiest and/or most manipulative friends in the northwest; None of these factors are legitimate reasons to run for such a high office. Even Dino spent a few years in the Legislature!
If they believe that being a businessman or professional of some sort qualifies them for public service,they're sadly mistaken. Looking after a business, profession and/or family members is largely an effort in self-interest and/or preserving the bottom line. But to believe that such background qualifies you for the US Senate, c'mon. They typically don't feel the kind of pain .. that Joe-six pack does; not if they're honest with themselves.
Before you give me a bootstrap speech about this or that candidate, understand that a Horatio Alger graduate isn't necessarily qualified to do the will of the public. In fact some may argue the opposite, that it limits your experience to 'how to exploit your skill set, your environment and others to succeed" in mainly a financial way. And isn't that what it's all about anyway?
But don't get me wrong …self interest and ego have their place .. but personally I like to look for more rounded candidates that have paid their dues with years of experience in serving the real public … not just clients, customers, patients or sports fans. Am I wrong?
YES, you are WRONG!! when our nation was founded, "public service" was never meant to be a career! people who had worked in the private sector were expected to sacrifice to serve their nation and represent the "people". soneone who has been in public service for years has learned to get ahead within the system, to "politic", but each year the get farther from "the people" they serve! do I think a previous career in public service is a disqualifier? of course not! but neither do i believe in the elitist attitude you display that somehow not being in the "system" and coming from the private sector means you can't be fit for office! PRINCIPLES are what matters. If you can clearly convey your principles, and convince people that you are willing to stand by them, that is what matters. a novice can navigate a complicated policy decision when guided by sound principles. that is the way our nation was designed to work. what do you think qualifies one for the US Senate, a Kennyesque heritage? a decade in DC? nope. sorry, you are wrong about this.
How did Obama get elected with no experience?
Personality and soaring oration aka his public speaking with incredible rhetorical skills , exciting the people, most of whom do not care about all the issues we are interested in. Our candidate must have those qualities and a strong belief of fiscal responsibility which everyone can relate to these days. That's how the governors out east won. We need a charismatic, practical candidate who is also not afraid to attack the other side, not wimp out.
Ann I agree with you. You've made my point. Obama would be a much better president IF HE DID HAVE more experience behind him. Don't you agree?
Any candidate would benefit from being in office doing the public will and understand how legislation gets past by DOING .. rather than reading or talking about it. . The fact is that NONE of these GOP, Republican, or what have you .. in this poll have any.
Ann I agree with you. You've made my point. Obama would be a much better president IF HE DID HAVE more experience behind him. Don't you agree?
As it stands right now I'd like to see a blend of Craig Williams and Art Coday's positions. I honestly think that trying to constantly come up with a "win – win" scenario is what has led many a well intending Republican to become a Rino. Wanting to please both sides of an issue is also what Obama has been trying to do in Afghanistan.
In fact just looking at the "Pros and Cons" makes me realize that the Republican Party still doesn't get it. This is just politics as usual, and I'm not just referring to the process.
Name recognition? Who ever heard of Patty Murray before she ran for office? Next to nobody.
Ability to raise money? To the richest goes the office? Another reason the Rinos exist. Find a candidate who's actions truly reflect what he states and who's statements resonate with the grassroots and the support will be there. Don't forget what the Republicans did in New York which sabotaged the truly conservative candidate.
I like the idea of a candidate who is rooted in business oriented thinking. Someone who knows that we should be living within our means. Anybody who has held a public position for any length of time adopts the "if we don't spent it we will lose it for next year" mentality. Sure there are some things that need to be funded and even increased from year to year in proportion to the growth of society as a whole, but this "spend it or lose it" mentality is diametrically opposed to increased efficiency.
Number of Facebook followers? I agree that a strong candidate will have to use and have a solid communications system in place through many avenues, but to use facebook followers alone as a criteria is pretty shallow.
Is the GOP looking to put up an "Obama like" candidate with a Republican message? It looked like Obama was an eloquent speaker but it turns out he is just a good reader. He couldn't give a strong message from his heart to save his life because he has to have everything written for him. Is that what the Republicans are looking for?
This isn't, or shouldn't be, Madison Avenue -trying to find the best looking and slickest person out there. I don't care if the candidate is 6'8" or 5'1". I want to know if they truly have what it takes to fight the corruption that is way too prevalent in both parties.
Sure, a sports figure knows that they should play by the rules, but in professional sports lately the attitude is more so that if you can get away with it then it is ok. Look at the whole steroids issue, which isn't nearly as important as the matters of the Nation, but so many of the players were and are constantly looking for how to get away with it. Sports can provide good character building, but it isn't an automatic result. Life simply isn't that black and white.
Wow,
I've just now had the chance to read through all of these comments. Your post is the most engaging. New York is a prime example as to why we conservatives need to stick together. The Republican party is our only hope and they are having to make their own right turns as we speak. I'm not above bugging them to keep that up. I truly believe that the American citizens are coming around at this point. How much of our hard earned money can this administration blow like a teenager at the local mall.
Let these possible candidates hash it out and we get to decide who we're going to hire. At least someone will have a new job next year.
I will personally back the conservative any day of the week, month or year. Remember, above all, to stick together. The crazy libs want to regulate our light bulbs and toilet paper, wow!
Williams is a complete RINO
look, this guy's positions during and after the county commissioner's race were to the left of Lenin. Among others: He supports wasting $4 BILLION on an unneeded and unwanted I-5 Bridge replacement that will cost commuters to the Portland area as much as $1300 per year in tolls; He opposes allowing a vote on that subject; He's applauded the waste of $100,000,000 for studies with pre-ordained outcomes and he rather moronically supports loot rail. When he was humiliated in the primary for commissioner (4% of the vote or so) he informed the local paper that the highest GOP vote getter could NOT win the general. That guy, Tom Mielke, is now, of course, Commissioner Mielke. In short, he's as far left as Murray on environmental issues… and why should we support a fake Republican when we've already got a democrat in office?
Thanks Clark Cnty,
That is what we need, good solid information on what their past actions have been, not just political statements that end up being meaningless.
I want PM gone believe me, but to be honest I do not see any of these being able to get those Seattle voters. I wish someone from Eastern Washington could win so we could have a voice for a change. Just look at the last governor race and you will see it was a single county that made the decision. We can't let that happen again! If any of these men feel they are strong candidates they need to get out how they are qualified other than NOT being Patty Murray.