Gregoire tours eastern Wash., assails Rossi

State attorney general said Republican opponent's record speaks louder than his words

YAKIMA- With less than two weeks to go before the elections, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Christine Gregoire said she was a better candidate to represent the interest of the Latino community of the state than her opponent, Republican state Sen. Dino Rossi.

"Rossi has never come out to talk to the Latino community," she said in a phone interview after receiving the support of Yakima Latino leaders. "You can't be a governor if you don't understand the issues facing every type of people in the state."

Just like Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash, had done a week earlier, Gregoire, the state's attorney general, said that the issues facing Latino families are the same as those worrying the rest of the state and the nation.

"They want good paying jobs, they want health care benefits," Gregoire said. "More people are employed but uninsured than ever before, and those who are insured are paying more (for it) than ever before.

The difference between the issues for Latino people and the rest of the state, Gregoire said, is that matters are worse for Latinos.

"Far too many kids are dropping out of school because they need to help their families," she said. "Far too many folks are struggling to get health care."

In a Gregoire administration, the key to these issues will be working together, she said, adding that that includes looking for small business opportunities in central Washington, expanding help for non-agricultural businesses and ensuring that people have access to new economic opportunities.

She assailed her opponent, saying he had cut the cost of living increases for teachers, opposed class size initiatives and that the contrast between the two candidates was "pretty definite.

"His record speaks louder than his words," she said of Rossi.

During her short stay in Yakima, part of her "Right Direction for Washington" bus tour, Gregoire touched upon the issue of illegal immigration, saying it is an issue at the federal level on which there is very little a governor can do. However, she did note that many people who are considered illegal immigrants are people who want to be here, and mentioned the devastating impact raids have to the agricultural industry dependent on these people's labor.

"They are contributing to the economy of the state," she said.

She suggested that immigration policies needed to be revised, and that the state's congressional delegation would have to be the ones to look into that.

Many of these farm working families have serious trouble finding adequate housing. Gregoire said that although Gov. Gary Locke had done a good job of creating partnership with farmers and the Housing and Urban Development Department, more needed to be done.

"We should not have homelessness in this state and in this country," she said.

Gregoire, who was scheduled to visit Richland and Spokane as part of her tour today, said she found "troubling" the allegations against Rossi regarding his record.

Three articles have been published in the Seattle Times, questioning the accuracy of Rossi's record as a state senator and a businessman. Through a press release, the Rossi camp called the allegations "hardly earth-shattering stuff."

On the other hand, Gregoire said that it was troubling to have Rossi run for governor on qualifications that are highly questionable.

One of the articles stated that Rossi mixed his dealings with state lobbyists with his work in real estate. The second article questions the veracity of Rossi's story about his nephew, whom he said left the state for Arizona given the tough financial times in Washington. The third article assails Rossi for not making his federal income tax returns available.

"He needs to come forward with his IRS filings and his business dealings," Gregoire said. "It's a tragedy that he withhold that information." Otherwise, it raises serious questions based on what he told the public, she said.

During a debate with Gregoire in Yakima, Rossi accused Gregoire of having private attorneys raise money for her re-election campaign during the settlement with the big tobacco companies in the mid-1990s.

"They contributed to my campaign, but so what?" Gregoire said. "They are private sector lawyers not hired by me. They saw me, respected me and made a small contribution to my campaign. Nothing wrong with that."