Gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi told a record crowd of Republicans on Saturday in Port Townsend that Washington gets a second chance to elect him and that he will "win again."
Rossi was the keynote speaker at the annual Lincoln Day Luncheon at the Elks Lodge. His appearance helped draw more than 160 people, including a few from Olympia and Kitsap County.
The event was touted by Jefferson County GOP Chairperson Barbara Bradford as the largest gathering of Republicans ever in Jefferson County.
Rossi recalled the 2004 election in which he had won on the first two ballot counts but then lost to Democrat Christine Gregoire by 129 votes on the second hand count.
"Everyone in this room knows 129 people," Rossi said. "There are enough votes in this county to win the election," he told Jefferson County Republicans, who have been outnumbered at polls here by Democrats.
While campaigning, the real estate developer said he hears over and over how people voted for him and will again but that they regret not doing anything more than that in the previous election. For that reason, he's created group called "Rossi's Posse" to help doorbell and campaign, and he's employing the Internet more than ever.
Rossi also said he hopes to find "Dinocrats," people from the Democratic Party who are disenchanted with Gregoire's tenure and are ready for a change of leadership.
Rossi noted that it has been 28 years since Washington had a Republican governor.
Rossi, 48, a former state Senate budget chairman, rolled out a campaign theme of treating taxpayers as "customers," questioning whether state agencies such as the departments of Ecology and Transportation treat taxpayers well.
Implying they don't, Rossi noted that because of their failings, "our ferries our sinking and our roads are floating."
Rossi lambasted Gov. Gregoire on safety issues, saying convicted sex offenders had been allowed to register as homeless people while she has been in office.
And he said Gregoire has been on a spending spree and has allowed the spending growth rate to more than twice exceed the revenue growth rate. He said she started her tenure in office with a budget surplus, and now financial forecasters are expecting a deficit next year for whoever wins the office.
Rossi said that it is possible to be fiscally responsible and still have a social conscience and help seniors, the disabled and those with mental health issues.
"I want Washington to be an entrepreneurial state," he said. "I want Washington state to be the worst place in America to be a criminal and the best place in America to be in business."
If elected governor, he said he plans to appoint more than 1,000 people who have the same idea as he has about customer service - from the people on the blueberry commission to the one person he knows will be appointed to the state Supreme Court in the next four years.
"I get to appoint all those," Rossi said to applause.
And he added he might tap the shoulders of some in the audience and ask them to step up and serve.
Rossi said one of the questions he is asked most frequently is whether what happened in 2004 with his 129-vote loss to Gregoire would happen again.
Rossi said the playing field has changed since then, as Secretary of State Sam Reed wiped 400,000 voters off the polls who were dead or who were voting twice or who were convicted felons.
"Rarely in life do we get a second chance at something that's really important," Rossi said. "Washington state gets a second chance," he said to applause.
Rossi also stumped for state Attorney General Rob McKenna, Secretary of State Sam Reed, Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland and state treasurer candidate Allen Martin, who came to the event with him.
Martin, who is currently chief deputy treasurer for State Treasurer Mike Murphy, said Murphy, a Democrat, is endorsing Martin, a Republican.
"I've never made a partisan decision," Martin said of his 20 years in office.
Both Jefferson County Treasurer Judi Morris and Auditor Donna Eldridge endorsed Martin on Saturday.
Also present was Thomas Thomas of Clallam County, a 24th Legislative District candidate who hopes to unseat Democrat Rep. Kevin Van De Wege of Sequim.
Thomas says he wants to focus on the economy and find the right economic bases for both Clallam and Jefferson counties. He said Clallam is clamoring for commercial development while Jefferson seems more interested in focusing on tourism.
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