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Two time gubernatorial runner up Dino Rossi who has been under pressure from national Republicans has announced on Wednesday that he would fight Washington state’s democrat Patty Murray.
If Rossi wins then he will have the chance to put an 11th democrat held seat into play in November’s election. The Republicans need 10 seats to wrest control of the US Senate.
Rossi posted a video on his website this morning and announced his candidature. He rationalized his candidature saying that concerns over the national debt, healthcare bill reform and the stimulus package prompted him to fight for the Senate.
"I know I won't be able to look my children, and someday their children, in the eye if I do nothing while this fundamental redefinition of America continues unchecked," he said in the video. "I believe the policies being passed in Washington D.C. have put us on the edge of a fiscal cliff."
Rossi’s spokeswoman said that he wouldn’t be doing any media interviews till Thursday.
Murray laughed off at a suggestion from KOMO Radio that Rossi could be a formidable opponent.
"I have six brothers and sisters, and my four brothers would tell you I love challenges," she said. "So it's OK."
National republicans had pursued Rossi aggressively after polls this year showed him to be competitive. But Rossi hesitated for months leading to speculation on whether he was still game for another fight after two losses for the Governor’s job.
"There's strong anti-incumbent sentiments now, but I think if people consider Murray's record, she'll be served well," said Paul Sisson, 59, a retired gardener from Seattle.
Tea party activists have supported Clint Didier. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has endorsed Clint as well.
A rerun of an upset in the form of a tea party backed candidate winning against a more established republican is highly unlikely.
Rossi had tapped political consultant Pat Shortridge to get a nod to the power of the tea party. Pat is also a top adviser for Florida Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio.
"If Dino Rossi wants to win, he's going to have to court the tea party," said Shelby Blakely, a tea-party activist from the small eastern Washington town of Prosser. "This is Washington, you need every conservative you can get."
Meanwhile, Murray was won re-election twice by wide margins since her first election in 1992.
"She's able to get a lot of funding for a bunch of different projects," said Peter St. Pierre, a 24-year-old general contractor from Bellevue
Rossi will have to fight social issues like abortion against Murray. This was something which he managed to sidestep during his attempt for governor.
Rossi’s commercial real estate career has been under attack with claims of unsavory associations along with 420,000 in delinquent property taxes. Rossi has refuted the charges saying that he has no ownership interest in the property.
Rossi’s candidature is being taken seriously by State Democratic Party chairman Dwight Pelz. State Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz said they're taking Rossi's candidacy seriously.
"It's an unpredictable year in America, we know that," he said. "But Rossi is the establishment Republican candidate, he is the hand-picked candidate of Washington, D.C."
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