Dino Rossi to visit Moses Lake

Candidate for governor wants to lead "entire state" if elected

The man some call the best chance in 20 years for the Republican Party to regain control of the governor's mansion will visit Moses Lake Thursday.

Dino Rossi, former state senator and GOP gubernatorial candidate will arrive in Moses Lake to gather support and spread his gospel of a businesslike approach to the Washington of tomorrow.

Rossi's supporters in the Basin were unaware of his impending visit, and nobody at his western Washington campaign headquarters could specify where exactly their candidate would be while in town.

Rossi himself did not know, though he emphasized the reasons of his visit.

"The overall reason I am going is to make sure that I get there as often as I can to hear what issues concern people," he said.

That is not the only goal, Rossi said, adding that he wants the entire state to tune into his message and his campaign.

"I want to convey the fact that I plan to be governor of the whole state," he said.

Rossi said that he wants to make sure people in rural areas understand that they need to be represented better. The Issaquah realtor said that across Washington, large swaths of the state are feeling left out.

"It's clear that rural areas don't really have as much representation as they should," he said. "Not just Moses Lake, but all over the state."

Another thing that is clear to him, Rossi said, is that it is time for a change in Washington state.

"People want change," he said. "Moderate Democrats and the independents want change. They look at their chances in the race and they understand that they will have me as governor with a strong support of the legislature. That's important."

Opposing Rossi in this election campaign are state Attorney General Christine Gregoire and King County Executive Ron Sims, both of whom are running as Democrats, and who will have to face off against each other in primary elections.

Rossi said that electing "the same people we have" is not the state's ticket out of a recession, and voters know that.

"They understand they are going to get the same thing if they elect Sims or Gregoire," he said.

Beyond the candidates' different personalities, Rossi said that what will make the difference is the attitude and size of state government, and how each candidate has fared on the topic.

"When (Gregoire) was head of the Department of Ecology, it almost doubled in size," he said. "People in Moses Lake are not asking for the world, but a little balanced, reasonable and rational government."

Conversely, Rossi highlighted the 2003 state budget he engineered, containing no new taxes and shrinking the state's deficit.

For that budget to balance, Rossi crossed party lines, and worked alongside Democratic lawmakers. Asked about how that might play out among hard-core Republicans in the Basin and across the state, Rossi remained confident.

"The hard-core side understands the ability to cross party lines resulted in a new no-tax-budget during the largest deficit in state history," he said.

Calling his own outreach to Democrats ”unusual," Rossi said that his Republican base supports his actions.

"Being willing to reach out and build some common ground to build on," he said. "They (Republicans) believe that it served the state well."