DGA

PHILADELPHIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire was not present at the National Governors Association conference this weekend, but her tough re-election battle is on the minds of her Democratic colleagues gathered here.

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who earlier today was named chair of the National Governors Association, is scheduled to host a Monday evening fundraiser for Gregoire at the Philadelphia law firm of Ballard, Spahr, Andrews, and Ingersoll. Rendell aides did not provide further details on the event.

Gregoire spokeswoman Deborah Carnes said the governor would not be able to attend the event because she was monitoring the fires in the eastern portion of the state.

The Democratic Governors Association, a Washington, DC-based organization dedicated to supporting Democratic incumbent governors and challengers, is one of the main groups behind today’s launch of an independent group attacking Washington State Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi.

The group Evergreen Progress says on its website that the DGA is among its top five contributors. A spokesman for the DGA confirmed that it had given Evergreen Progress $250,000.

As PolitickerWA.com’s Bryan Bissell reports, the three hard-hitting television advertisements Evergreen Progress have begun airing, focusing on Rossi’s record on children's health care, prescription drugs and a patient's bill of rights. Rossi, a former state Senator, is challenging Democratic incumbent Christine Gregoire after a narrow loss in 2004.

California’s next gubernatorial election is more than 31 months away, but a national Democratic organization already sees the now-Republican seat as a prime target in 2010.

“California is certainly one to look at,” said Nathan Daschle, the executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, an independent, Washington-based organization devoted to supporting Democratic gubernatorial incumbents and nominees across the country. “That’s a seat I can see going our way.”