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Archive | Family's struggles early in life f orged Rossi'spolitical identity

Originally published October 25, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified October 25, 2007 at 11:16 PM

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Rossi announces bid for governorRepublican Dino Rossi came armed w ith a quiver full of zingers today as he embarked on his c ampaign to dethrone Democratic

Gov. Christine Gregoire, setting the...

By Ralph Thomas

Seattle Times Olympia bureau

Republican Dino Rossi came armed with a quiver full of

zingers today as he embarked on his campaign to

dethrone Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire, setting

the tone for what promises to be a long and bruising

rematch.

Rossi said he's been holding off being too critical of

Gregoire since losing to her by 133 votes in 2004

the closest governor's race ever. But during his kickoff

speech, Rossi lambasted Gregoire's record as

governor.

He said Gregoire has "spent and spent and spent" and

set the state on course for a huge budget crisis in a

few years. He said she has failed to make traffic

congestion a top priority and done little more than

study major education problems. He said she has

become a master at blaming others for things that go

wrong, but c laiming credit when things go right.

"Nothing will change in Olympia if we keep the same

old crowd in charge," he said. "They have had their turn."

Gregoire gave a reverse-Reaganesque response to Rossi's attacks.

"All we have to do is ask ourselves, are we better off today as a state than we were three years ago," she told

reporters after an event in Olympia. "You bet we are. I'm not willing to go back to the old days."

The overarching theme of Rossi's hourlong speech was retreaded from his 2004 campaign that Gregoire

has become too entrenched as an Olympia insider.

Rossi, 48, pointed out that Gregoire has been in state government for 38 years: "She s tarted when I was in

4th grade." Along the way, he said, Gregoire has lost touch with regular citizens and taxpayers.

Over and over, Rossi referred to Gregoire as the "governor for the government."

Rossi's speech drew plenty of hoots and ovations from the hundreds of supporters who packed the Village

Theatre in Issaquah to hear him pronounce, "I'm in the race."

Afterward, state Republican Party Chairman Luke Esser was beaming. "It's going to be a great, great year,"

said Esser, who for months has been publicly pleading with Rossi to run.

Rossi, a former state senator and budget writer, used a lot of numbers to make his case that Washington is

on the wrong track.

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