It's official: Locke endorses Gregoire

By Times staff and news Services

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Locke called the three-term attorney general "incredibly bright" and praised her commitment to everything from civil rights to the Hanford nuclear cleanup.

"I'm proud to officially endorse her," he said. "I think she's a terrific candidate."

Locke said his support for Gregoire was no secret, given that last month he attended a fund-raiser for her along with former Govs. Albert Rosellini and Booth Gardner. "I felt that was pretty definitive then," Locke said.

The governor said his endorsement came in response to an Associated Press question earlier in the day.

Gregoire, likewise, said she hasn't talked to Locke, but told The AP: "His endorsement is important and means a lot to us."

A spokesman for Ron Sims, Gregoire's Democratic primary opponent, said it had been clear to Sims' campaign for a long time that Locke supported Gregoire. Yesterday's statement "was no big surprise to us," said Tim Hatley, Sims' campaign manager.

The endorsement was a lift for Gregoire, who was criticized earlier this week by some African-American leaders for her leadership role in a college sorority that limited its membership to white Christian women.

In a Seattle Times story Monday, Gregoire said she disagreed with the policy but reasoned it would be best to fight it from within. In the early 1970s, she twice traveled across the country to Kappa Delta's national convention to try to persuade the sorority to eliminate the rule.

Some African-American leaders have said Gregoire should have done more.

When asked about the issue, Locke vigorously defended Gregoire.
 
"She's been an incredible champion of civil rights," he said. "She's worked on legislation against hate crimes, she's worked on anti-harassment and anti-bullying in the schools, and she has an impressive record of diversifying top management within the [Attorney General's] office," he said.

Also coming to Gregoire's defense yesterday was James Kelly, president of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle.

"A recent news article raised questions about Christine's involvement with a college sorority 30 years ago," Kelly said in a statement he released last night. "The Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle is satisfied with her responses to those questions.

"It is important to note that no African-American leader called Christine a racist in a recent, widely covered press conference," he said. "There is no evidence to substantiate the allegation that Christine is a racist. Simply put, Christine Gregoire is not a racist!"

Locke said he'll help Gregoire any way he can, including campaign appearances and fund raising. He previously endorsed Democrat Mark Sidran's campaign for state attorney general and Democrat Alex Alben's run for the 8th Congressional District seat left open by the retirement of U.S. Rep. Jennifer Dunn.

Staff writers Andrew Garber and Ralph Thomas and The Associated Press contributed to this report.