Not just Rossi vs. Gregoire: Governor's race actually crowded

OLYMPIA — More than likely, you've never heard of Christopher Tudor.

Or for that matter, James White, Will Baker, Duff Badgley, John Aiken, Christian Pierre Joubert, Javier Lopez and Mohammad H. Said.

They're all candidates for governor, and, barring a miracle, have no chance of surviving the Aug. 19 primary and appearing on the November ballot.

Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire and her Republican challenger, Dino Rossi, are almost certain to be the two candidates still standing after the primary.

There are a lot of reasons for that. A big one is they've got the backing of the state's major political parties. And they have amassed more than $14 million combined to run expensive voter-outreach and advertising campaigns. State records show the two candidates combined have spent more than $470,000 on designing and printing campaign literature alone.

By comparison, Tudor has raised about $12,000 and White about $6,000. Most of it is money they personally loaned or donated to their campaigns. The remaining six candidates have raised no money, according to state records.

It's a lopsided contest, and under the state's new top-two primary, only the two candidates with the most votes advance to the Nov. 4 general election.

Even so, the lesser-known candidates seem unfazed by the long odds, mammoth gap in fundraising and lack of exposure.

"I like to say I'm the underdog in this fight, and all good underdog stories have that person coming out on top in the end," Tudor said. "Democracy is in place so individuals like myself can appear on the ballot. So give me a chance and see what we can do."

This is the first time Tudor, a 33-year-old hotelier, has run for office. He owns The College Inn near the University of Washington in Seattle and is running as an independent.

He's been campaigning by doing "neighborhood outreach," such as going to the Fremont Fair and speaking to groups, including the Seattle Yacht Club.

Many people get their start in politics by running for school board or city council. Tudor said he decided to aim for the state's top political post because otherwise, "it's the same two candidates offered by the same two parties," referring to the fact that Gregoire and Rossi ran against each other in 2004. Rossi lost by 133 votes after two recounts.

Tudor says traditional party politics have stalled movement on major transportation, education and environmental issues.

"The focus I'm trying to bring to this election is that we can't let the special interests and political parties influence what is best for the state," Tudor said.

White, a 42-year-old Boeing airplane inspector, said he's running because "I'm more in touch with the general public than the other candidates."

Family-court reform is a top issue for White. He contends the system has serious problems. "We've lost focus of the importance of family, and we need to restore that to get this state back to a stronger place," he said.

White, who is running as an independent, argues it's not fair that Gregoire and Rossi get almost all the media attention in the governor's race. "When you promote only two candidates, that's what the people see," he said.

Still, like Tudor, White is undeterred and says he has a good shot at appearing on the November ballot.

"I have a pretty large family that extends from Seattle to Spokane, and so I have a lot of people getting the word out about my running," he said. "I give myself really good odds, being realistic. The only thing holding me back is the exposure they have. If I had equal exposure, there would be no doubt I'd be there."

Here's a quick look at the other lesser-known candidates:

• Duff Badgley, of Seattle, says profound change is needed to address global warming. The Green Party candidate wants to call a "climate emergency session" of the Legislature to take action such as outlawing single-occupancy vehicles except where there's no public transportation.

• John Aiken, a Republican from Medical Lake, Spokane County, wants to revive the timber industry and start a government-funded program to provide low-cost housing for people who want to get out of paying rent and become property owners.

• Christian Joubert, of Edmonds, would make public health and holistic healing his top priority. The Democrat says on his Web site that "chronic diseases including chronic stress can be cut down by at least half in four years" under his proposed policies.

• Javier Lopez, of Lacey, Thurston County, pledged that if he's elected he'll turn his salary over to the state and challenge other candidates to do the same. He also said he's an inventor and has created an engine that runs on air. Lopez, a Republican, promised to bring integrity and honesty to the governor's office.

• Mohammad Said, who is running as an independent from Ephrata, said that if he's elected governor, he'd put emphasis on preventive medicine. He also wants to call any Washington National Guard troops in Iraq back to this state.

• Will Baker, a Reform Party candidate from Tacoma, has run for local or state office multiple times since 1996, including for secretary of state, state auditor and now governor. He's called himself a "vigilante activist" and has been arrested several times for disrupting Tacoma City Council and Pierce County Council meetings.

Andrew Garber: 360-236-8268 or agarber@seattletimes.com