If it’s a Tuesday it’s a primary day and today voters are heading to the polls in Washington and Wyoming.
Voting has been going on in Washington for two weeks already and it looks likely that former State Senator Dino Rossi will easily win his primary. But the race hasn’t left him totally unscathed. Rossi, who lost two very close gubernatorial races to Democrat Christine Gregoire, been noticeably moving to the right in recent weeks after Sarah Palin endorsed Clint Didier, essentially bestowing the Tea Party blessing on the former NFL tight end. Rossi also has to contend with businessman Paul Akers, who has poured nearly $600,000 of his own money into the race. Rossi was the first GOP candidate to call for the repeal of the financial regulatory reform bill and supports a full repeal of the health care legislation. He’s endorsed the Tea Party’s “Contract from America,” which calls for a flat tax, expanded oil and gas exploration and strict limits on federal spending. He’s also been boasting of his endorsements by the social conservative Family Research Council, Dick Army’s FreedomWorks and Senators Tom Coburn and Jim DeMint.
All this may help Rossi win the primary, but in a state that voted for Barack Obama in 2008 with 58% of the vote, it may not do him any favors in the general election.
That said, anyone who’s been in the Senate 18 years like Patty Murray has something to worry about in this climate. Republicans have been slamming Murray for her support of the bank bailouts, stimulus and health care reform. Murray, instead of distancing herself from the unpopular Democratic agenda, has embraced it. President Obama is in Washington today fundraising for her and on the campaign trail she highlights all the money she’s brought to Washington as an appropriator. Murray currently leads Rossi in polls by an average of 3.5%, according to Real Clear Politics.
Washington has an open ballot, mixing Republicans and Democrats together, so the primaries are essentially an early preview of the general, only with a bunch of also-rans in the mix. The top two vote getters advance to the general. As National Journal’s Hotline points out, if Murray garners less than 46% of the vote, it could be a troubling harbinger for her in November so tonight’s returns will be closely watched.
The only other race to watch today is Wyoming’s GOP gubernatorial primary. It’s more of an open field, though another of Palin’s endorsees is competing: State Auditor Rita Meyer who led in the latest Mason-Dixon poll, though not outside the margin of error. Meyer was up 27% to 24% against U.S. Attorney Matt Mead; Colin Simpson, son of former Senator Alan Simpson, came in at 17%; and Ron Micheli, a former director of Wyoming’s Department of Agriculture, trailed with 12% of the vote. The GOP primary winner, whomever he or she may be, is favored by observers to win in November given the weak field of Dems seeking to replace outgoing Democratic Governor David Freudenthal, who is term-limited. Wyoming went 62% to 33% for John McCain in 2008.
Update:
In Washington, Murray won with 46% of the vote — healthy but not out of the woods — followed by Rossi with 34%, Didier with 12% and Aker with 3%. Murray and Rossi advance.
In Wyoming, Mead beat Meyer by a razor-thin 700 votes. Meyer conceded.