Hutchison's popularity has foes scrambling

Susan Hutchison seems like everyone's favorite target in the race for King County's highest office.

Abortion-rights activists say she's "dangerous" and are mobilizing against her. SEIU, one of the state's largest unions, wants to nip her political career now before it blossoms. Opponents Dow Constantine and Larry Phillips took the unusual step of crashing a Hutchison press conference to attack her.

A KIRO-TV news anchor for 20 years until the station dumped her for a younger woman in 2002, Hutchison has spent her time since shoring up the Seattle Symphony's finances and doling out grants to arts and science projects, including a super-telescope in Chile that aims to peer into the universe's dark matter.

Her campaign slogan sounds more like June Cleaver than firebrand Sarah Palin: She wants to put county government on "a meatloaf, not steak, diet."

"I look at them (her critics) and I look at me," Hutchison said, "and I think, 'What are they afraid of?' "

Her popularity, for one thing.

Polls show her with more than a 3-1 lead over her closest rival, Constantine, and more voter support than all of her competitors combined in the nonpartisan race.

As a political outsider, the only woman and the only perceived Republican in the crowded race, Hutchison has a big edge in the primary election, said former state Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance.

Some fear her campaign could be the start of something big. "What we've heard is that Republicans view her as the next big prospect for statewide prominence," said Adam Glickman-Flora, a spokesman for the Service Employees International Union.

Which is curious because Hutchison denies she's a Republican — although there's considerable evidence to the contrary.

She has contributed a total of $13,125 of her own money to Republican committees and candidates, including George W. Bush, but none to Democrats.

She considered running as a Republican against U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell in 2006. The Reagan Wing, a conservative faction of the GOP, called her then "the best chance for rejuvenation of the spirit of our entire political party."

And her current campaign is being advised by a California company that touts itself as the "go-to political consulting firm for Republican candidates."

Former KIRO colleagues say her conservatism was well-known.

Tony Ventrella, who worked with Hutchison as sports anchor for eight years, said he would sometimes start friendly political conversations with her. "I was a big fan of Bill Clinton. She was not. I was not a fan of George W. Bush. She was."

Aaron Brown, a KIRO anchor in 1986-1991, said Hutchison came across as "unquestionably a classic Christian conservative."

Both Brown and Ventrella said they liked Hutchison, and Ventrella said she'd be competent as an executive.

Hutchison maintains she is not a Republican and never held any post in the GOP — or any party.

She sees herself as moderate. "Someone who is moderate understands that when you're dealing with a particular problem you let everyone come to the table. They all have a seat," she explained during a two-hour interview. Hutchison said it's no coincidence her first campaign is for county executive. "I didn't choose to run for any other office. I'm running for this one because it is nonpartisan and it suits me," she said.

Hutchison has refused to discuss her views on social issues such as abortion, saying those topics are divisive and not relevant to the county job.

She has deviated from that stance when asked about her role as a former board member of the Discovery Institute, which promotes "intelligent design," a view of life's origins that challenges the theory of evolution.

Hutchison, who attends Seattle's University Presbyterian Church and put her two children through Seattle Public Schools, said claims that she's a creationist are "silly." She loves the Bible, she said, "but it is not my science text." She works at the Charles Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences, she notes, where she's been involved in funding projects related to evolution such as the Cambrian Shale exhibit at the Burke Museum.

She acknowledges a risk in her strategy. "If you have to have that information in order to vote for King County executive, then you'll have to make that determination on your own. ... I'll take my licks on issues I have control over, but I'm not going to divide people."

NARAL plans campaign

NARAL Pro-Choice Washington plans to campaign against Hutchison because of her conservative credentials and her refusal to fill out the group's questionnaire, said Lauren Simonds, the group's executive director. Simonds said abortion is a relevant issue, noting the county funds nine family-planning clinics that serve low-income women.

Attorney General Rob McKenna, a fan of Hutchison's, said he never dealt with an abortion-rights debate in the nine years he served on the King County Council.

McKenna, a Republican, also defends Hutchison's decision not to state a party preference, calling the issue a "red herring."

"I don't think she should run as a partisan. What difference does it make? There's nothing to be gained by allowing it to be framed as a partisan race," he said.

State Auditor Brian Sonntag, a Democrat and Hutchison supporter, agreed, saying he doesn't think of Hutchison as a partisan. "I'm not sure that has anything to do with managing county government day to day. I don't think you manage in a liberal or conservative sense," said Sonntag, who spent 20 years in Pierce County government.

Much of Hutchison's $276,000 in campaign contributions have come from prominent Republican donors such as John Stanton, Bruce McCaw and Charles Pigott. But she's also tapped a few Democrats, such as Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and bipartisan donors like Fremont business owner Suzie Burke.

Focus on budget

Hutchison believes she's a leader. Perhaps, she said, it's a quality she inherited from her father, a retired Air Force general.

Her campaign has focused on the county's budget shortfall, projected at $110 million over the next two years.

At times Hutchison has been very specific about the diet she wants to prescribe the "bloated" county.

She called for a hiring freeze and cuts in administrative staff. She would ax county passenger-ferry expansion, but would continue existing service to Vashon Island and West Seattle.

Other times she has relied on clichés, saying she would eliminate "waste and duplication" and "streamline" county operations.

And still other times, she's sounded defensive. She refused to say if she would cut county jobs unless unions agree to give up some of their pay and benefits.

"The next thing you're going to ask me, if I say there have to be job cuts, is where? I cannot make those pronouncements at this point in the campaign," she said.

Hutchison says she has valuable budget experience from her two-year stint as chair of the Seattle Symphony board. In that post, she helped the symphony balance its budget for two years after it had run up a $3.2 million debt and was projecting more red ink.

Symphony Executive Director Tom Philion said Hutchison played a pivotal role in a fundraising campaign that staved off deeper debt. "She's a great communicator. That translates very well into making fundraising presentations," Philion said.

It should be noted, though, that after Hutchison's term ended in June, the symphony still had a $2.9 million debt.

Simonyi Fund

Hutchison also touts her work as executive director of the Simonyi Fund as leadership experience unmatched by her opponents.

At the foundation, she analyzes potential recipients and manages relationships with them. It's essentially a two-person operation — Hutchison and former Microsoft executive Simonyi — assisted by a part-time administrative aide.

The foundation granted $13 million to 34 organizations in 2007, the most recent year for which tax records are available.

Former GOP Chairman Vance says Hutchison's campaign must do two things to be successful: assure people she's qualified for the job and come up with specific compelling messages.

If foes are allowed to brand her a religious conservative, it could spell doom for Hutchison, Vance said.

"After the primary," he warned, "she has the steepest hill to climb."

Bob Young: 206-464-2174 or byoung@seattletimes.com