Gregoire vows to bring unique vision to state

Candidate for governor says she has track record of getting things done

Christine Gregoire, the state's Attorney General, said that if she is elected governor, she will be making the changes needed to create a great economy for Washington.

Gregoire, running for the state's highest office as a Democrat, said that the next governor has to focus entirely on how to get Washington's economy up and running, particularly after 100,000 jobs have been lost and the unemployment rate is one of the highest in the nation.

For Gregoire, the road to economic recovery has to be based on, among other factors, the strengthening of homegrown education.

"We need to make sure our workforce is meeting the needs of the market of the future," she said, "and that our students are well educated and trained to meet those needs."

The health care needs of the citizenry are part of the Gregoire platform, as well. "Our children cannot learn if they are not healthy," she said, making a distinction between her and one of her opponents on that topic.

"(Republican candidate) Dino Rossi kicked 40,000 kids out of health care," she said. "Those kids are not going to have a shot at learning if they don't have health care."

As far as the merits to become the next leader of the state, Gregoire said she has a track record of getting things done, mentioning the Hanford site cleanup and the tobacco settlements as some of her career highlights as attorney general.

"I was a leader in the nation with the settlements of tobacco case," she said, "bringing in $4.5 billion in health care for the citizens of our state. I led the way to ensure the Department of Energy cleaned up Hanford, and I led the attorney generals of the nation to address school violations and sex predators over the Internet."

Gregoire said that such experience tackling the issues and "getting the job done" is what the state needs to have in its next governor.

She added that she will not play politics, and instead, will work to move the state forward.

"I don't think this election is about conservative (versus) liberal," she said. "It's about choosing a governor who shares the values of the citizens of the state. I am that person."

Gregoire not only made a distinction between her and Rossi, but she said that her style of leadership will differ from current Gov. Gary Locke, as well. "My vision will not be like anybody else's," she said, "Just like I was not like anybody else as attorney general."

She described her vision as making Washington state a place where people raise their families "knowing that if you raise your kids here, you get a wonderful quality of life, with your kids well educated and health care for your families."

She added that as governor she will look forward and not back, meeting the needs of the citizens starting on January 2005 and into the future.

Regarding Locke's policy of establishing priorities of government, Gregoire said that it can be done better, specifically with further citizen involvement.

"I would seize (the priorities of government) and make sure that with the citizens we are establishing (them)."

The perception of the land east of the Cascades as a Republican stronghold does not faze Gregoire, who noted that she has won eastern Washington three times as a candidate for attorney general. Furthermore, she sees herself as an appealing candidate to the voters from this side of the state.

"They like a straight-talking, no-nonsense, get-the-job-done leader," she said. "And that is me."

Gregoire said she recognizes the importance of agriculture, calling it one of the leading industries in the state. She emphasized her desire to be a governor for both sides of the state, which she sees as awash in potential.

"I want the economy to flourish in every part of the state," she said.

With the election months away, Gregoire is optimistic about her chances to become the first female governor in Washington since Dixie Lee Ray in 1977, and the second one in state history.

"Polling is very encouraging," she said, adding that she is running the race "as though I am behind, working as hard as I can and fighting for every vote."

With Rossi gathering a number of endorsements from the state's business community, Gregoire said she has worked well with business in Washington and that will continue if she is elected governor.

"I will concentrate on being a good partner with ports, economic development councils and businesses," she said. "Government does not create business, but it is a great partner in allowing businesses to flourish."

This role as a partner includes working with small businesses, as well, she said. Gregoire said she hoped to break down barriers and open opportunities for small businesses, noting that many of them "just need the opportunity to grow."