Cantwell's primary foe turns friend

One of Sen. Maria Cantwell's biggest critics will soon become an ally in her re-election campaign. Mark Wilson, an anti-war Democrat who has been challenging Cantwell in the primary, will endorse Cantwell at a press conference today. He will campaign full time for the first-term senator, according to a media advisory issued by Cantwell's campaign Saturday.

Wilson, who in the past has run as a Green and a Libertarian, has galvanized a group of anti-war Democrats, who have kept up months of criticism of Cantwell and her stance on the Iraq war and occupation. They have pressured Cantwell to publicly say her vote to authorize the invasion of Iraq was a mistake. Attorney Hong Tran also is challenging Cantwell on an anti-war platform, but it has been Wilson who was in first and held the most support among the anti-war crowd.

Last week The Washington Post said this in an assessment of Cantwell's race: "Cantwell has drawn the ire of the liberal left for her continued support for the war in Iraq (this stance breeds controversy in a state in which 59 percent of the population favors immediate withdrawal), although her recent vote in favor of the Levin-Reed amendment may help ease those tensions somewhat. ... The question is not whether disaffected Democrats defect to [Republican candidate Mike] McGavick but whether they stay home on Election Day."

The Cantwell campaign would not give any details of today's announcement.

Wilson has been particularly sharp in his criticism of Cantwell, and not just on the war. At last month's Democratic state convention, he said, "You can't be a true environmentalist when you support the pillage and plunder of war or neo-con fast-tracking, free-trading policies." On his Web site Wilson asks "Does Maria Cantwell really represent you?" and includes a list of things she voted for that he disagreed with, including the war, the Patriot Act, confirmation of Condoleezza Rice, and President Bush's energy bill.

The Cantwell campaign bills today's event as a "major campaign announcement." Clearly the hope is that without Wilson in the race, the anti-war and liberal criticism will subside. Wilson spoke with liberal blogger David Goldstein, who reported that Wilson had a personal meeting with Cantwell and "came away convinced that she's working to bring our troops home."

Cantwell also issued a press release yesterday saying Dal LaMagna will be joining the campaign as a co-chairman. LaMagna, who lives in Poulsbo, comes with excellent progressive credentials. He is the founder of New York-based Tweezerman, a "personal-care tools" company that, according to Cantwell's announcement, "practices responsible capitalism." LaMagna also started ProgressiveGovernment.org, which tracks Bush administration nominees.

David Postman is The Seattle Times' chief political reporter. Reach him at 360-236-8267 or at dpostman@seattletimes.com