Murray, Rossi wrap primary campaigns, eye Nov race

Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and Republican challenger Dino Rossi tore through a final day of primary stumping Tuesday, fine-tuning strategies for what's likely to be a general election matchup in November.

The two candidates for U.S. Senate were expected to easily advance through Washington's "top two" primary, an unusual system that lists all candidates on the same nonpartisan ballot then sends the two highest vote-getters to the fall ballot.

Murray, considered vulnerable in her bid for a fourth term, welcomed a primary-day visit from President Barack Obama to boost her momentum and campaign checkbook for the run to November.

Obama was tentatively slated to offer official remarks about the sluggish economy before headlining a fundraising luncheon for Murray and state Democrats, advertised at $500 and $1,000 a head.

Obama won Washington with 58 percent of the vote in 2008.

Rossi, a former state senator and two-time gubernatorial runner-up, toured a Seattle business Monday and planned a Tuesday speech at the Emerald City Rotary before heading to an evening "victory party" at his suburban headquarters.

Murray and Rossi have consistently led the field of candidates in polls leading to the primary. Conservative Republican Clint Didier has garnered tea party support and pulled Rossi to the right on some positions.

Nearly all of Washington's 3.6 million voters use absentee ballots, with only one county still offering traditional polling places. Ballots were mailed statewide in late July and must be postmarked or dropped off by Tuesday.

The time needed to tabulate ballots submitted up to the deadline means full election results typically aren't known for days.

Rossi was heavily recruited by national Republican officials to challenge Murray, who has regularly polled below 50 percent. Rossi finally announced his campaign in late May, just days before the deadline for registering as a candidate.

Since then, Rossi has campaigned as a critic of the Democratic majority's spending and the national debt. He's sought to turn one of Murray's chief strengths, the ability to deliver federal money, into a liability.

Murray has not run from her record of bringing federal spending to the state, pointing out jobs and major facilities that were bankrolled by such efforts and warning that a freshman senator who foreswears earmarks would simply surrender that money to other states.

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Online:

Murray: http://www.pattymurray.com

Rossi: http://www.dinorossi.com