John Ladenburg

John LadenburgComing off of a disappointing primary that saw the Republican incumbent Rob McKenna leading by eleven points across the state and even winning the Pierce County where he was re-elected as executive in 2004 with 60 percent of the vote, Democratic attorney general candidate John Ladenburg came out of the gates today running hard.

Ladenburg's campaign sent out a press release today that did not acknowledge the primary results, and instead focused purely on the issues, which Ladenburg has tried, so far unsuccessfully, to make the centerpiece of this race.

This morning his campaign sent out a top ten list of questions that seek to mark McKenna as unsuccessful on his marquee issues, identity theft and consumer protection. Ladenburg also questions McKenna's comparatively short resume and and wonders why McKenna has not been more of an activist on behalf of citizens while in office.

Attorney General Rob McKenna has issued a statement expressing his thoughts on the early returns from today's "top two" primary that show him with a 12 point lead over Democrat John Ladenburg.

Read the full statement below.

The state's two major party chairmen both painted a rosy picture of their respective factions' outlooks heading into the general election once all of the primary votes are counted.

Democrat Dwight Pelz felt particularly strong about the state's two most hotly contested reaces and Republican Luke Esser had high hopes for the slate of Republican statewide hopefuls.

A new poll shows Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire with a large lead over Republican challenger Dino Rossi. The survey, which took place July 27-31 with a relatively small sample of 405 registered voters, had Gregoire up by a count of 52 percent to 36 percent with 12 percent undecided. Gregoire defeated Rossi in 2004 in the closest election in state history, and forecasters have been labeling their rematch one of the tightest gubernatorial races in the nation.

The Washington Conservation Voters, a leading environmental interest group, announced Thursday that they are giving Calvin Goings (D-Puyallup) their sole endorsement for Pierce County Executive.

"For over a decade Calvin Goings has shown a record of environmental leadership on many of our most pressing community priorities," said Sarah Lowe, the co-chair of Pierce County WCV, in a statement.

A proposed ballot measure intending to raise property taxes in Pierce County to protect farm and conservation land was Pierce County Councilman Shawn Bunneykilled in committee Monday in the Pierce County Council. The bill, which would have raised tax by a few cents per every $1,000 of assessed property value, was proposed by Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg.

But two of those who killed the measure, Councilmembers Calvin Goings (D-Puyallup) and Shawn Bunney (R-Lake Tapps), are vying to replace the outgoing Ladenburg as county executive. Going and Bunney both serve on the Rules Committee along with Council Chair Terry Lee and voted 3-0 to postpone the bill indefinitely.

The Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs (WACOPS) announced today that they are endorsing Attorney General Rob McKenna R-Bellevue) for re-election over John Ladenburg (D-Tacoma). WACOPS is an organization made up of almost 5,000 police officers and deputy sheriffs across the state.

"WACOPS is proud to endorse and support Rob McKenna for re-election as Attorney General," said WACOPS President Mark Lann. "He has a proven track record of supporting law enforcement officers across this state. As the State's chief law enforcement officer, Rob Mckenna has partnered with local law enforcement agencies to give officers the tools they need to fight crimes. He has worked especially hard on issues related to violent sex offenders as well as criminals who would work to steal our identities."

The campaign to re-elect Rob McKenna (R-Bellevue) for Attorney General announced Monday that they had passed the $1,000,000 mark for fundraising over the weekend. McKenna, who was a King County Councilman prior to serving as the Attorney General, has raised more money this cycle than any other statewide candidate short of gubernatorial candidates Dino Rossi and Gov. Chris Gregoire. He has also brought in $100,000 in the first half of June, and had more than $400,000 on hand at the end of May.

"These numbers indicate the breadth and depth of my support around the state," McKenna said in a press release. "I am grateful that so many Washington voters support what I am doing and want to see me return to office.  It shows that I am focused on the right things: Fighting crime and protecting families."

SPOKANE -

Washington's slate of statewide candidates gave speeches this afternoon after becoming the official nominees of the party.

Peter Goldmark, Jason Osgood, and John Ladenburg all spoke on behalf of their candidacy with a few digs at their opponents. Recaps below the fold. 

May is the second in a monthly PolitickerWA.com series of the financial status of some of the state's top races.

Here is how things stand as of May 31, 2008. The first number listed is contributions, the second number is expenditures and the third number is the difference between the two. Precluding any unusual circumstances, that third number is equal to cash on hand. The candidate with the most cash on hand is listed at the top of each section.

All numbers below are in the thousands of dollars, unless otherwise noted. See April's figures here.