Poll results show Ross is contender, Democrats say

By Warren Cornwall
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

Dave Ross

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Democrats who first approached Ross about running think the new results confirm he is a real contender for the seat in the 8th Congressional District, Ross said yesterday. He may take as long as two weeks to decide whether to enter a race that already has four Republican and two Democratic candidates, Ross said.

The poll showed the host of a longtime midmorning show on KIRO-AM (710) had name recognition higher than 80 percent of the 600 people polled, with a favorable rating of roughly 45 percent, Ross said. The overall recognition is comparable to that of King County Sheriff Dave Reichert, considered one of the leading contenders for the Republican nomination. Reichert, however, has a favorable rating of around 60 percent, Ross said.

"It would be an uphill fight for me in the general election. But significantly, they still think it would be worth it," Ross said of Democratic Party Chairman Paul Berendt and pollsters who met with Ross yesterday to discuss the results.

Ross said they think his major strength is that people know where he stands on various political issues. "They said if you look at the candidates in the race and were to ask people in the 8th District, 'Where do they stand on this issue and this issue and this issue?' you're going to get blank stares," Ross said.

Berendt declined to discuss the detailed results of the poll of 600 people in the district, which includes much of East and South King County and east Pierce County. He did say the results were encouraging.

Neither Ross nor Berendt would discuss the results for the Democrats already in the race, former RealNetworks executive Alex Alben and three-time congressional candidate Heidi Behrens-Benedict. Other Republicans in the race are Bellevue City Councilman Conrad Lee, state Sen. Luke Esser and former federal Prosecutor Diane Tebelius.

Ross said the decision now rests with him and hinges largely on whether he wants to pursue a major career change, he said.

"The numbers are secondary," he said of the poll. "If I was going to do this thing, I'd do it."

Warren Cornwall: 206-464-2311 or wcornwall@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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