Round two between Mason and Matheson camp

U.S. Congress hopefuls continue battling each other a month away from primary

The war of words continues between Craig Mason and Sandy Matheson's campaign manager, Gil Gilman.

Remarks, allegations and rumors have turned the primary race for the right to face incumbent U.S. Rep. Richard "Doc" Hastings, R-Pasco, in November into a mudslinging contest, where each side accuses the other of wrongdoing.

The latest chapter began with Mason sending an e-mail titled "To Print, Radio and Television Media," where he said that Gilman had threatened to go to the media with rumors of Mason using ethnic slurs, if he did not stop telling labor leaders there is "not enough money on earth" for Sandy Matheson to beat Hastings.

In the e-mail, Mason said he has never attacked anyone for their race or ethnicity. Later, he said Gilman was trying to be intimidating, adding that perhaps in Gilman's hometown of Chicago "you have to act like a jerk" to pretend to be tough.

Gilman responded in kind, saying Mason could call him names, but at least, he was not a racist.

"He questions my ability to uphold the ideals of the Democratic Party," Gilman said. "But when I come in contact with people who are racists, I call them on it."

Gilman declined to name the kind of slurs allegedly used by Mason, limiting only to give the names of people in the Tri-Cities' Democratic leadership who had come to Matheson regarding the slurs. Leona Hassings of these people did not return the Herald's phone calls.

Mason's e-mail goes on to attack the electability of Sandy Matheson, a businesswoman in the Tri-Cities area, saying that nothing about her shows she can beat Hastings, and adding that she has no personality, no program and no passion to be victorious in November.

The Matheson camp dismissed these comments, Gilman describing them as the political equivalent of saying someone is ugly.

"They have nothing to do with political viability," he said. "We are not trying to appeal to Craig Mason, but to our constituency."

Despite his dismissal, Gilman chastised Mason for sending e-mails to labor unions accusing Matheson.

"If he wants to say these things in public he is going to have to bear the consequences.

Matheson herself responded to Mason's sayings.

Every candidate, Matheson said has their own strategy. While hers was based on her strengths, it seemed to her as if Mason's was based on attacks, she said.

An issue that has resurfaced in this battle has been the political contributions of Sandy Matheson before and after she declared her intentions of running for Congress

In August of 2003, Matheson contributed $2,000 to the campaign of President George W. Bush. In March of 2004, Matheson contributed $2,000 to the campaign of Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry.

Matheson explained the contributions as a matter of context, given her long history of civil activism before she became a candidate.

"In my role as a Hanford contractor and in the community, you support the political process, and support people who support our area," she said.

That is, Matheson added, the context for those contributions, as an activist helping those who help the community.

Mason refuted that theory, saying that the team of Bush, Cheney and Hastings had utterly mismanaged the country's economy and national security. As a rival to Hastings, Mason said, she needs to attack that as part of attacking her Republican opponent.

"She will not go out and make that case," Mason said. "It makes me wonder if she is a Democrat."

Matheson does not believe past contributions to the President, as well as to Hastings, and former Republican U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton would hurt her campaign in the eyes of Democrats.

"I was supporting the community and most people understand that," she said.

Minutes before this story went to press, Gilman announced that Mason's campaign manager Andy Dixon had sent an e-mail to the Matheson camp asking for a truce, and an end to the attacks on both sides.

Mason said that although there is an e-mail, it is regarding a different, earlier matter, before the accusations of racism came about. Dixon never asked for a truce, Mason said.

"We have never initiated any attacks and are eager to going back to discussing the issues, though," Mason said. "The attacks have never come from Sandy, it's been (Gilman.)"