Maria Cantwell

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell: Getty Images PhotoDENVER - U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) speaks during day two of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the Pepsi Center August 26, 2008 in Denver, Colorado. U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) will be officially be nominated as the Democratic candidate for U.S. president on the last day of the four-day convention. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Below is a transcript of remarks made by U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D) at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday evening, as prepared for delivery.

DENVER -- Senator was the word of the day at this morning's delegate breakfast in Denver. Right on the heels of Patty Murray, the state's junior Senator, Maria Cantwell, spoke about renewable energy and Washington's obligation to give the Democrats a strong voice this fall.

But first she had to gush a little bit about the happenings in Denver.

"I'm glad to be here after last night," she said of the speeches by Michelle Obama and Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). "We couldn't have had a better convention."

Cantwell then reminded the Democrats how hard they will have to work for the good of the country by setting an example.

Things are far more local today following yesterday's star-studded and nationwide breakfast menu. Gone are Howard Dean and Janet Napolitano, replaced by some of Washington's most statured politicians.

Both of the state's U.S. Senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, will speak along with 2nd Congressional District Rep. Rick Larsen .

Thousands of southern Washington residents cross over the Columbia River to Oregon for work and tax-free shopping. Yet they are forced to pay an Oregon income tax, which makes sense insofar as they made the income in Oregon, but smacks of taxation without representation insofar as they are not permitted to vote in Oregon.

Washington's Congressional delegation spoke out in favor of today's decision by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' decision to re-open the bidding process for the Air Force KC-767 tankers. Airbus had won the initial contract, which would have cost the state's economy a significant amount of money, but the process was discovered to be flawed by the Government Accountability Office.

Representatives Brian Baird (D-03), Doc Hastings (D-04) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (D-05) have yet to speak on the matter. Links to and excerpts from the rest of the state's elected officials statements are below.

Dave Reichert wins green recognition while Dino Rossi wavers on global warming. Here are the Winners & Losers for May 30, 2008.

Sen. Maria CantwellCongressional Quarterly issued a report today listing the past and present U.S. House and Senate candidates with the ten largest campaign debts, typically as a result of personal loans. Maria Cantwell, Washington's wealthy junior senator, came in at number 8 on the list with an unpaid balance of $2,312,707 from her successful 2006 campaign against Republican Mike McGavick.

Jeff Merkley may have won a 45%-41% victory in yesterday’s Democratic primary, but it’s rare for a challenger who barely ekes out a primary win to oust incumbent United States Senators in the general election.  Of the twenty challengers to unseat incumbents in U.S. Senate races since 1996, only one did so after winning a primary by a narrower margin than Merkley did.  That was in 1996, when Peter Fitzgerald won a 52%-48% victory over Loleta Didrickson in the Illinois GOP primary, and then went on to defeat incumbent Carol Mosely-Braun. 

Presidents have (very) occassionaly favored Washingtonians with prominent appointments. Our senators' replies to whether they wanted to be vice president led us to look into other Washingtonians in presidential administrations.