Rossi, Gregoire clash over stem-cell proposal

By Ralph Thomas, Jim Brunner and Andrew Garber
Seattle Times staff reporters

JIM BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES KING-TV anchor Jean Enersen, left, moderated last night's gubernatorial debate between Christine Gregoire, center, and Dino Rossi, right, in a KING studio.

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Gregoire fired back, accusing Rossi of distorting her record and misconstruing her plans.

Appearing in their second debate in as many nights, Gregoire and Rossi ducked numerous questions and recycled much of the same rhetoric they have been using throughout the campaign.

Last night's hourlong event, sponsored by The Seattle Times and KING-TV, was the only statewide televised debate of the campaign. The candidates will meet Sunday for their final face-to-face duel.

Their sharpest exchanges came over stem-cell research.

Gregoire has proposed using $500 million from the state's tobacco settlement as seed money to help finance biotech research, including stem-cell research.

Rossi said Gregoire opposed a similar proposal in the Legislature last year and said she only brought it up as a campaign issue based on polling.

"I believe it's more of a political ploy than anything else," he said.

Rossi, who opposes abortion, has avoided taking a firm stand on whether he supports stem-cell research. Abortion foes argue that taking embryonic cells for research is akin to abortion.

Gregoire, who says stem-cell research could be the "penicillin for the 21st century," said she had been working on her plan since before entering the race for governor.

Rossi also accused Gregoire of grossly exaggerating the number of new jobs her proposal would create. She cited experts who predict as many as 70,000 new jobs; he said experts have told him it's more like 700 jobs over the next four years.

Rossi, as he has throughout the campaign, talked about his top priority: improving the state's business climate. He complained that more than two decades of Democratic control of the governor's office have left the state without the "political will, courage and leadership" to do that.

"I am running against Gary Locke's hand-picked successor," Rossi said.

Gregoire has also pointed to a lot of problems facing the state, including a stagnant economy and a high-school dropout "crisis." But last night she refused to pin blame on her fellow Democrats.

"I am not running against Gary Locke," she said.

Rossi, who in recent weeks has been airing TV ads bashing Gregoire's record in Olympia, last night sought to paint her as a bad manager who has lost piles of taxpayer money in court.

"If you can't run an office of 1,000 people, how are you going to run the state?" Rossi said.

He pointed out that during her nearly 12 years as attorney general the state has paid out more than $150 million in liability claims. He said that was more than the state paid out under all previous attorneys general combined.

"Well Dino, I have to say, either you don't understand how the system works or you're intentionally misleading the public," Gregoire shot back.

She said state agencies, not her office, are responsible for paying liability claims. She added that the $5 billion settlement she helped win for the state from tobacco companies far outweighs the other losses.

The candidates gave differing views on charter schools. Rossi, noting that his kids have been in public and Catholic schools, and home-schooled, said he favored charters.

"One thing I do know is there isn't just one way to teach a child and so having more options for parents, I think that's a good thing," he said.

Gregoire disagreed. "I think we ought to take our money and the creativity and the innovation and invest every taxpaying dollar into our public schools, so I'm not going to support charter schools at this time in Washington state," she said.

On several issues Gregoire and Rossi took similar stands, as they have throughout the campaign.

Asked whether he'd support an amendment to the state constitution to ban gay marriage, Rossi said he was "not running on this issue" but said he supports the traditional view of marriage as between a man and a woman. He said he'd back a state constitutional amendment as "a last resort."

As she has throughout the campaign, Gregoire declined to offer her personal view on gay marriage. Gregoire said the matter was being appealed to the state Supreme Court and said she would live with whatever decision it made. However, she said she didn't believe the constitution should be amended to take away rights.

On the death penalty, an issue neither candidate has talked much about, Rossi and Gregoire both said they support the state's current use of execution for some of the worst crimes.

Asked whether the state ought to back a $200 million subsidy for a proposed NASCAR track in Snohomish County, neither candidate committed, though Rossi seemed more enthusiastic about taking a look, comparing its economic impact to having "a Super Bowl every year." Gregoire said she would not support a single penny of taxpayer subsidy without evidence the track would deliver "multiple returns" to the state and local economy.

Ralph Thomas: 360-943-9882 or rthomas@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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