WASHINGTON 11 Electoral Votes
Bush-Cheney Gore-Lieberman
Campaign Campaign
Bush-Cheney State Chair: Rep. Jennifer Dunn
Co-Chairs: Mike McKay, Rep. Doc Hastings
Exec. Dir.: David Thomas  ...prev. with Rep. Tom Davis
Dep. Exec. Dir: Anthony Welcher 
Office: 707 112th Avenue NE, Bellevue

Victory 2000 Exec. Dir.: Veda Jellen

Washington State Republican Party
Chairman: Sen. Don Benton
Exec. Dir.: Pam Brady
Office: 16400 Southcenter Parkway, Suite 200, Seattle

Gore-Lieberman State Director: Kurt Beckett
...district director for Rep. Norm Dicks (Tacoma office).
Dep. State Director: Ted Nakata  Press Secretary: Torah Ravitz
Office: 2330 2nd Avenue, Seattle 

Coordinated Campaign Director: Paul Tewes

Washington State Democratic Party
Chairman: Paul Berendt
Exec. Dir.: Jim Kainber
Office: 616 First Avenue, Suite 300, Seattle (Pioneer Square)

Candidate Travel (Aug. 1-Nov. 7)
GWB: 4 visits.
DC: 4 visits.
Candidate Travel (Aug. 1-Nov. 7)
AG: 2 visits.
JL: 3 visits.
Nov. 6 -- 1. DC rally in a hangar at Paine Field, Everett.  2. DC rally in Lampson Hangar at Pasco airport (final campaign address).
Nov. 5 -- JL attends evening rally, Highline Community College, Des Moines. (running late after stops in NM, NV and OR, then headed on to MN).
Oct. 31 evening -- GWB and LB "Bringing America Together" tour (compassionate conservatism) Victory 2000 rally at Bellevue Community College, Bellevue.
Oct. 27 -- JL tours New Edge Networks and delivers remarks, Vancouver.
Oct. 24 -- DC and LC visit, observe demonstration of Avista Labs fuel cell technology, Westcoast Grand Hotel, Spokane.
Oct. 23 -- 1. AG greets voters, Hanger C-84, Paine Field, Everett (stop between Portland and Spokane).  2. AG rally at Gonzaga University, Spokane.
Oct. 10 -- JL DNC luncheon, 75th Floor Columbia Tower Club, Seattle ($).  2. JL leads a discussion about making college tuition more affordable, University of Washington-Tacoma, Tacoma.
Oct. 9 -- DC remarks to Yakima Chamber of Commerce and employees at Western Recreational Vehicles, Inc. in Union Gap.
Sept. 25 -- GWB airport rally at Spokane International Airport, Spokane.
Sept. 18 -- DC and LC visit, discuss improving education at Stevenson Elementary School, Bellevue (afterwards participate in Washington Victory 2000 luncheon).
Sept. 13 -- GWB conservation initiative speech, near the Skykomish River Bridge, Monroe.
Aug. 30-31
Aug. 30 -- (AG and JL impromptu stop in Alki Beach in West Seattle).  AG and JL fundraiser with Gov. Gary Locke at the Westin Hotel in Seattle ($).
Aug. 31 -- (In the morning, AG and JL ride the Bainbridge Island ferry with commuters).  AG and JL health care rally and receives American Nurses Association endorsement, Westlake Park, Seattle.
Aug. 11-12 
Aug. 11-- GWB airport arrival, Seattle Boeing Field, Seattle.  Aug. 12 -- GWB and LB w/ Sen. John McCain, defense event, Port of Everett, Everett.
A Sampling of More Campaign Activity A Sampling of More Campaign Activity
Nov. 5 -- Final day of Washington State GOP Victory 2000 "Courthouse to the White House " bus tour.  Rep. Steve Largent (R-OK), GOP chairman Jim Nicholson and actor Robert Conrad rally at Husky Stadium in Seattle and at Federal Way High School in Federal Way, leading up to the concluding rally at Bellevue Boys & Girls Club in Bellevue, where they are joined by Condoleezza Rice.

Nov. 3 -- Former Pres. George H.W. Bush speaks at a rally for Republican candidates at Spokane Falls Community College in Spokane.

Oct. 27 -- Elizabeth Dole, stumping on behalf of the Bush campaign, appears in Vancouver and then joins Rep. Jennifer Dunn for a "For Our Daughters" forum at the Bellevue Wintergarden.

Oct. 24 -- Lynne Cheney holds a forum at Stanwood Senior Center in Stanwood.

Oct. 23 -- "Barnstorm for Reform" tour -- Govs. Paul Cellucci
 (MA), Lincoln Almond (RI) and Jane Dee Hull (AZ) speak at The Bedford retirement community in Vancouver and at Canyon Lakes Restorative and Rehabilitation Center in Kennewick.

Nov. 5 -- Hispanic celebrities including singer Tish Hinojosa, Aida Alvarez, Henry Cisneros and Federico Peña rally at Carpenters Union hall in Yakima, part of multi-state "Su Voto Cuenta" tour.  (Actor Jimmy Smits, the star attraction, didn't make it according to the Tri-City Herald).

Oct. 31 -- Jesse Jackson appears at Rainier Beach Community Center and holds a rally in Red Square at the University of Washington in Seattle. (DNC financed tour).

Oct. 29 -- Melissa Etheridge headlines a free GOTV concert at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle; special guests include Elizabeth Birch, executive director of Human Rights Campaign, and Robbie Cox, board president of the Sierra Club. (five-state tour).

Oct. 28 -- Celebrities including director Rob Reiner, actor Martin Sheen and actress Christine Lahti campaign for Gore and Democratic candidates at Gas Works Park in Seattle.

Oct. 26 -- Bill Bradley speaks on behalf of Gore/Lieberman at the University of Washington's HUB Auditorium in Seattle. 

Oct. 24 -- Gloria Steinem pro-choice rally at University of Washington's Red Square, includes her "Top Ten Reasons Why I'm Not Voting for Nader." (Voters for Choice tour).

Sept. 21 -- Tipper Gore makes three stops accompanied by Senate candidate Maria Cantwell and first lady Mona Lee Locke: tours classroom programs and meets with working women at Bates Technical College in Tacoma; greets supporters and patrons at Triple J Cafe in Kirkland (Seattle suburb); evening rally at Everett Community College in Everett.

Sept. 16-17 -- Kristin Gore.  Sept. 16  Picks up trash with students near Foster High School in Tukwila; visits, helps register voters at the Western Washington Fair in Puyallup.  Sept. 17 Runs in the Komen Race for the Cure; speaks to Hispanic voters beneath the Space Needle at Fiestas Patrias 2000 in Seattle.

Allies
AFL-CIO -- On Oct. 23-25 AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and several other national union presidents did a bus tour in Washington to support AFL-CIO endorsed candidates including Gore/Lieberman. 

Television Television
According to the Campaign Media Analysis Group (CMAG Eye, Jan. 2001 and Nov./Dec. 2000) during the general election the Bush campaign and the RNC ran 8,000 ads in Washington, fifth most behind Florida (21,400), Ohio (13,300), Penn. (12,300), and Michigan (10,500); 8,000 ads were also run in California.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice (Dec. 11, 2000 report) spending in Washington on TV advertising in the presidential race by the Bush campaign, GOP and supportive groups in the period from June 1 to Nov. 7, 2000 totaled $5,376,242.

According to the Brennan Center (Oct. 30, 2000 report), Seattle/Tacoma was one of the top markets in terms of number of presidential ads run.  From June 1 to Oct. 24, the Center tallied a total of 7,575 presidential ads run in this market, second only to Philadelphia; 3,490 of these were in support of Bush.  For the week of Oct. 17-24, 794 total ads ran in the presidential race, 316 backing Bush.

According to the Campaign Media Analysis Group (CMAG Eye, Jan. 2001 and Nov./Dec. 2000) during the general election the Gore campaign and the DNC ran 6,500 ads in Washington, the seventh most of any state; this accounted for an estimated 7% of total Gore/DNC ad spending, behind Penn. (20%), Ohio  (13%), Michigan (13%), Florida (12%).

According to the Brennan Center for Justice (Dec. 11, 2000 report) spending in Washington on TV advertising in the presidential race by the Gore campaign, Democratic party and supportive groups in the period from June 1 to Nov. 7, 2000 totaled $5,446,943.

>Given that Bush/RNC ran significantly more ads than Gore/DNC yet Gore/DNC/supportive group spending exceeded Bush/RNC/supportive group spending, it appears groups supporting Gore focused considerable resources on Washington.

According to the Brennan Center (Oct. 30, 2000 report), Seattle/Tacoma was one of the top markets in terms of number of presidential ads run.  From June 1 to Oct. 24, the Center tallied a total of 7,575 presidential ads run in this market, second only to Philadelphia; 4,085 of these were in support of Gore.  For the week of Oct. 17-24, 794 total ads ran in the presidential race, 478 backing Gore.

Some Newspaper Endorsements Some Newspaper Endorsements
The Seattle Times --10/22/00  *
Vancouver Columbian --10/22/00  *
The Spokesman-Review (Spokane) --10/8/00
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin --10/29/00
South County Journal (Kent) --10/22/00
Skagit Valley Herald --11/3/00
Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, Pasco, Richland) --10/15/00 *
The Sun (Bremerton) --10/29/00   EWS
*Endorsed Clinton/Gore in 1996.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer --10/22/00
Tacoma News Tribune --10/29/00
Everett Herald --10/22/00
The Olympian --11/4/00
Miscellaneous Notes Miscellaneous Notes
Rep. Jennifer Dunn, one the ten people Bush named as co-chairs of his exploratory committee in March 1999, played an active and visible roll throughout the campaign both nationally and in Washington state.  "She rolled up her sleeves and worked very hard," co-chair Mike McKay, stated later.

Washington's Feb. 29 primary, coming after McCain wins in Arizona and Michigan, proved to be a pivotal step in Bush's path to the nomination.  McCain had spent a lot of time in the state, while Bush had not been there since Oct. 1999.  Dunn prevailed on Bush to make another visit; which he did just before the primary, on Feb. 27-28.  At an appearance in Pasco (Tri-Cities area--South Central Washington) on Feb. 27 Bush re-emphasized his opposition to breaching the dams on the Snake River.  Bush won the Republican primary by a sizeable margin and narrowly finished ahead of McCain in the blanket primary.

In the course of the primary, the campaign had established a foundation of nine congressional district coordinators; in the fall the organization grew around this base.  The national campaign provided plenty of support, including visits by Gov. Bush, Sec. Cheney, and an infusion of surrogates.  Heading into the closing week, the polls looked encouraging.  However, on Election Day Gore came out ahead despite what McKay, who had also served as a vice chair for the elder Bush's 1988 campaign, termed the strongest Republican presidential effort he'd seen in the state in about thirty years.  The Bush-Cheney ticket did win every county east of the Cascades.

Proposals to breach four dams on the Snake River to restore salmon runs proved to be a tricky issue for Gore.  Instead of taking a clear position, he said he would convene a summit.

In King County, which accounted for 794,196 votes for president (29% of the total votes for president), Gore won 476,700 votes (60.0%), Bush 273,171 votes (34.4) and Nader 37,383 votes (4.7%).


Nader-LaDuke
On Aug. 26 Ralph Nader did two events in Seattle: a rally at the Labor Temple in Seattle and a larger rally/fundraiser at Moore Theatre that evening.  On Sept. 23 he held a Super Rally at Key Arena ($10, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam performed).  He held a rally at Town Hall in Seattle on Nov. 2.

Analysis:
In his 1996 non-campaign, Ralph Nader achieved 2.68% of the vote in Washington, one of his better showings.  That race helped spur development of the Green Party of Seattle   Three years later, in November 1999, Seattle was the scene of protests against the World Trade Organization; Nader, who has long raised concerns about globalization issues, was present.  In 2000, expectations were high for Nader in Washington.

However in the closing 2-3 weeks of the campaign, Democrats and their allies applied pressure.  E-mails, phone calls and letters decrying Nader's campaign as irresponsible clogged communications.  Seattle City Council members Judy Nicastro and Richard Conlin, nominally members of the Green party (they had paid membership dues seeking the party's endorsement), penned an op/ed letter backing Gore, and shortly after, on Oct. 26, they held a press conference of former Nader supporters at Westlake Park.  (The Nader campaign had some "Chickens for Gore" on hand.)  Washington was one of seven states where NARAL ran its ad warning that "Voting for Ralph Nader helps elect George W. Bush."  Bill Bradley, Jesse Jackson and many celebrities were among those making appearances on behalf of the Gore/Lieberman ticket.

Nader's final showing of 4.14% fell short of expectations, but his campaign bolstered Greens' party-building in the state.  "Having Nader run did us a tremendous amount of good," stated a Green activist.  The Green Party of Washington State only came into being in May 2000; by Election Day they had all 39 counties organized.  In addition, congressional candidate Joe Szwaja achieved nearly 20 percent of the vote running against Jim McDermott in the 7th district, a record showing for a Green candidate in a congressional race.

Nader State Coordinator: Scott Royder
...Royder moved to Washington from Texas in mid-1999; he worked for the Texas Chapter of the Sierra Club from 1987-99.
Volunteer Coordinator: Megan Marks.  Events/Fundraiser: Jim Goettler.
Office: 2115 East Union Street, Seattle
 

Buchanan.  Pat Buchanan stopped in Seattle for a few hours on Oct. 24 on his way from Anchorage to San Franciso.
 

Browne.  Harry Browne visited Washington Oct. 12-14.  On Oct. 12 he held an evening rally at the Doubletree Hotel in Spokane.  On Oct. 13 he did two events in the Seattle area, holding a closed lunchtime meeting with about 100 Microsoft employees and doing an evening reception at a private home in Redmond.  On Oct. 14 he did a rally/reception at the Southcenter Doubletree Guest Suites in Tukwila.

Libertarian Party of Washington State
Chairman: Jocelyn Langlois
Exec. Dir.: Jacqueline Passey Bartels
Notes: In 2000, LPWS fielded 65 candidates: 11 statewide candidates (full slate); 9 congressional candidates (full slate); 9 state senate candidates; 33 state rep. candidates and 3 local candidates.  In the close U.S. Senate race, Libertarian Jeff Jared received 64,734 votes, many times Cantwell's 2,229 vote margin of victory.  Three statewide candidates received more than 5 percent of the vote, thereby qualifying the LPWS as a major party.
 
 

Copyright 2000, 2001  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action.