Confidence high, unity strained at state GOP convention

By Ralph Thomas and Jim Brunner
Seattle Times staff reporters

MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES Attending the state Republican Party's convention in Bellevue yesterday are Todd Richardson, left, Nancy McAlister, Gary McAlister, Derith Kelley and Bill Morris. They are from the 4th and 5th congressional districts in Asotin and Adams counties in Eastern Washington.

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Beneath a banner proclaiming "A new day for Washington," many of those candidates took turns urging the party faithful to work hard at defeating the Democrats, who for decades have dominated state politics.

"I've never seen our party this united," said U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt, one of two Republicans vying for a chance to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a two-term incumbent.

But that unity was disrupted for a while yesterday when supporters of the party's other U.S. Senate candidate, Reed Davis, tried unsuccessfully to change the convention rules that barred him from speaking. Davis was barred from speaking because he refused to promise that he wouldn't criticize fellow Republicans.

Davis, former chairman of the King County Republican Party, has been running a shoestring campaign against Nethercutt, who has already been endorsed by state and national party leaders.

	MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES George W. Bush paraphernalia was for sale at the state Republican Party's convention in Bellevue yesterday morning. More than 1,100 activists from across the state attended the event.

State party Chairman Chris Vance sought to downplay the Davis flap as a "minor, minor matter" and predicted that, with President Bush at the top of the ticket, state Republicans would have one of their best elections ever.

It's been 20 years since Washington voters chose a Republican for president and 24 since a Republican was elected governor. State Republicans had a particularly disappointing election in 2000, when incumbent U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton was toppled by Maria Cantwell, Bush was easily outpolled by Al Gore, and the party lost yet another governor's race.

This year, Republicans think they have a chance to avenge the Gorton defeat by knocking off Murray. And party leaders say they are convinced Bush can carry the state.

But it was clear yesterday the Republicans' biggest hopes rest with former state Sen. Dino Rossi, who left the Legislature last year to run for governor. A commercial real-estate salesman from Sammamish, Rossi drew the loudest cheers among the nine statewide candidates who took the stage to rally the convention delegates.

	George Nethercutt

"Twenty years in the wilderness is long enough," said Rossi, who was wired with a remote microphone like a motivational speaker. "This is definitely our year."

Rossi and the other GOP candidates vowed to improve Washington's business climate and suggested Democrats were to blame for the state's unemployment rate, among the highest in the nation. King County Councilman Rob McKenna, a candidate for attorney general, said if elected he would work with Rossi to "take apart" the Department of Social and Health Services — "because it just isn't working."

Vance told the delegates the only way the party could defeat the Democrats is by outworking them at the grassroots level.

"You are our answer to the paid union mercenaries who are going to be out there," said Vance. "We're going to beat the Democrats one doorstep at a time."

The delegates also listened to a taped pep talk from Bush.

"There is a real electricity in the air here," said former state House Speaker Clyde Ballard of Wenatchee, who for years was one of the state's most powerful Republicans. "There is an amazing trust in George Bush. Even with our concerns about the war, we believe we have a commander in chief with tremendous integrity."

	Reed Davis

Party officials wouldn't let Davis speak unless he signed the party's so-called "11th commandment," which says candidates should not criticize fellow Republicans. Davis had refused, saying he didn't trust party leaders to interpret it fairly.

Davis supporters tried to amend the convention rules to allow him to speak, but they were voted down by a majority of convention delegates. Jim Medley, Davis' campaign chairman, accused Vance and party leaders of using the rules "to stifle the free exchange of ideas" in the GOP. "You don't have the power to kill the ideas expressed in this campaign," he said.

Vance's supporters argued that Davis was simply being asked to follow the rules obeyed by other candidates and criticized him for rocking the boat.

"Politics is a team sport and no single candidate, no single individual is more important than the team," said Jeff Kent, one of Washington's two representatives to the Republican National Committee.

Bob Strauss, a state GOP executive board member, said the party's 11th commandment has served Republicans well. "We're not fighting each other. We're fighting the Democrats. We are fighting Patty Murray," Strauss said.

Davis said he was disappointed the delegates "aren't interested in what we have to say" and that without a real debate on the issues, it was tough to call the convention "anything more than a pep rally."

Davis later delivered the speech he called "too dangerous for the Republican Party to hear" at a spaghetti dinner for more than 100 supporters. He criticized Nethercutt in his speech for not doing enough to control congressional spending.

"I believe this has been the most expensive Congress since Lyndon Johnson," Davis said.

Nethercutt's campaign had urged Vance to defuse the situation by allowing Davis to speak, Nethercutt spokesman Alex Conant said. But Vance said he was bound by the rules set down by the party's state committee.

Former Montana Gov. Marc Racicot, Bush-Cheney campaign chairman, spoke last night at the party's convention banquet. Earlier in the day, Racicot visited the campaign's new headquarters in Bellevue.

"If we work hard every day, we will re-elect George Bush," Racicot told the handful of volunteers and paid staff. Every neighbor talked to, every letter to the editor, every phone call to a talk show, "every prayer you offer," makes a difference, he said.

In an interview, Racicot said the intensity of feeling toward Bush and the loyalty of his supporters are as strong as he has seen for a presidential candidate, perhaps even stronger than the support once was for President Reagan.

"We know it's hard. We think we can win," Racicot said.

The state Republicans reconvene today to choose the party's 38 delegates to the national convention and to approve a new state-party platform.

In years past, the platform has sparked some ugly convention fights. But party leaders said they don't expect much controversy over this year's proposed platform, which includes provisions backing the Iraq war, supporting oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and calling for amending the U.S. Constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Democrats are scheduled to hold their state convention next weekend in Tacoma.

Ralph Thomas: 360-943-9882 or rthomas@seattletimes.com. Staff reporter Beth Kaiman contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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