Wash. GOP gov candidate and allies have money edge

Republican Dino Rossi and his allies have more than four times as much money as Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire and her supporters in the waning days of a campaign that's already the most expensive election in Washington history.

State campaign finance records showed Wednesday that Rossi has more than $1.5 million on hand in his campaign account, compared to about $1.4 million for Gregoire.

That puts the candidates roughly even. But third-party campaign groups supporting Rossi have an enormous cash advantage over the main independent committee backing Gregoire's run for a second term.

With about three weeks to go until Election Day, the business group It's Time for a Change has about $4.1 million in the bank, state records showed. Most of that political action committee's money comes from the conservative Building Industry Association of Washington, a major Rossi supporter.

The Republican Governors Association, a national GOP group which also supports Rossi, has about $2.5 million on hand in its Washington state committee.

Both groups have paid for advertisements criticizing Gregoire, including her role in negotiating a tribal gambling contract that did not offer the state a share of gambling proceeds. The Republican Governors committee has recently run ads critical of Gregoire for the state's release of homeless sex offenders.

Those two groups' war chests dwarf the roughly $377,000 still in the bank for Evergreen Progress, a committee backed largely by the national Democratic Governors Association and various labor unions.

Evergreen Progress has run ads criticizing Rossi, including unfavorable comparisons with President Bush and criticism of Rossi's opposition to abortion.

The Gregoire-Rossi contest is a rematch of the state's historically close 2004 governor's election. Gregoire defeated Rossi four years ago by just 133 votes, after two recounts and a failed Republican court challenge.

Chris Vance, a Republican political consultant and former state party chairman who supports Rossi, said the huge cash advantage for Rossi allies shows that Gregoire and her allies spent their money too early.

"Both sides have money. The other side spent theirs foolishly," Vance said Wednesday. "Evergreen Progress and the Gregoire campaign decided to spend a bunch of money early. Now they don't have it."

Gregoire campaign spokeswoman Debra Carnes and state Democrats pointed to lawsuits filed against the Building Industry Association of Washington, or BIAW, over its fundraising practices during this election cycle.

Republican state Attorney General Rob McKenna is suing the BIAW and another construction industry group, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, over alleged campaign finance reporting missteps.

The BIAW also is being sued by two former state Supreme Court justices - both Gregoire donors - who allege that the group illegally coordinated its fundraising efforts with Rossi. The lawsuit seeks to make Rossi testify under oath before the election, and to halt the BIAW's political spending.

Rossi and the builders group deny wrongdoing and are fighting the lawsuit. A hearing was scheduled Thursday in King County Superior Court.

"Now that Rossi's backers have put it all on the line to buy the election for him, it's time Rossi answers questions about his role in their illegal activities - under oath and before the election," state Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz said in a statement.

But officials with It's Time for a Change, the BIAW-backed group, said they are "providing a voice for small businesses to counter the heavy influence of big corporations, labor unions, environmental groups and tribes."

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On the Net:

Gregoire: http://www.chrisgregoire.com

Rossi: http://www.dinorossi.com

It's Time for a Change: http://www.changeourgov.com

Republican Governors: http://onherwatch.com/ and http://www.casinochris.com/

Evergreen Progress: http://www.dontknowdino.com/