Morning Fizz
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Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon
1. In a flip flop, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna, now says he won't be casting a vote in the March 3 GOP presidential caucus, according to the AP .
In January , McKenna told KING 5's Robert Mak that he "would attend my local caucus" and "will have to" pick a candidate "at that point." He also took the opportunity to rate the GOP field (he liked Mitt Romney best), saying he thought the nominee would be "decided on sooner than later" and added that "social conservative" Rick Santorum wouldn't get the nomination.[pullquote]“I respect the fact that Rick has very strongly held views on social issues," McKenna said. "I don’t think he’d be a majority candidate in our state, to say the least…”[/pullquote]
“I respect the fact that Rick has very strongly held views on social issues," McKenna said. "I don’t think he’d be a majority candidate in our state, to say the least…”
McKenna should hope Santorum, who's tied with Romney in the latest polls after sweeping the primaries in Minnesota, Missouri, and Colorado, doesn't get the nomination. A Santorum candidacy would cast the GOP as social conservative firebrands—something McKenna is working hard to disassociate himself from—and it would likely boost Obama's numbers here in Washington State, which would boost Democratic candidate Jay Inslee's numbers as well.
2. The Seattle Times has the latest on the scandal in Snohomish County starring Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon. The Washington State Patrol has been investigating allegations that Reardon was using public resources to conduct an affair with a county social worker. They now say the woman, Tamara Dutton, who says she had a six-year affair with Reardon, has solid evidence (plane tickets, Facebook and text messages, and telephone records, including a 72-minute call during the workday on the county's dime), and they believe her story.[pullquote]A Santorum candidacy would cast the GOP as social conservative firebrands and boost Jay Inslee's numbers[/pullquote].
3. The Inslee campaign has responded to our story yesterday that major Democratic donor Nick Hanauer—exasperated with the Democratic Party's (and Inslee's) position on education reform ("I have seen the enemy, and it is us" Hanauer says)—has scheduled a meeting with Republican McKenna and may shift support.
Inslee campaign spokeswoman Jaime Smith told PubliCola:
Hanauer has already maxed out to Inlsee, donating $3,200 in September. He is meeting with McKenna, who's running on an ed reform platform, later this month. He's donated nothing to McKenna. Yet.
Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon
1. In a flip flop, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna, now says he won't be casting a vote in the March 3 GOP presidential caucus, according to the AP .
In January , McKenna told KING 5's Robert Mak that he "would attend my local caucus" and "will have to" pick a candidate "at that point." He also took the opportunity to rate the GOP field (he liked Mitt Romney best), saying he thought the nominee would be "decided on sooner than later" and added that "social conservative" Rick Santorum wouldn't get the nomination.[pullquote]“I respect the fact that Rick has very strongly held views on social issues," McKenna said. "I don’t think he’d be a majority candidate in our state, to say the least…”[/pullquote]
“I respect the fact that Rick has very strongly held views on social issues," McKenna said. "I don’t think he’d be a majority candidate in our state, to say the least…”
McKenna should hope Santorum, who's tied with Romney in the latest polls after sweeping the primaries in Minnesota, Missouri, and Colorado, doesn't get the nomination. A Santorum candidacy would cast the GOP as social conservative firebrands—something McKenna is working hard to disassociate himself from—and it would likely boost Obama's numbers here in Washington State, which would boost Democratic candidate Jay Inslee's numbers as well.
2. The Seattle Times has the latest on the scandal in Snohomish County starring Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon. The Washington State Patrol has been investigating allegations that Reardon was using public resources to conduct an affair with a county social worker. They now say the woman, Tamara Dutton, who says she had a six-year affair with Reardon, has solid evidence (plane tickets, Facebook and text messages, and telephone records, including a 72-minute call during the workday on the county's dime), and they believe her story.[pullquote]A Santorum candidacy would cast the GOP as social conservative firebrands and boost Jay Inslee's numbers[/pullquote].
Tamara Dutton, a county social worker with no professional reason to go on trips with Reardon, has plane tickets, telephone records, Facebook and text messages and other documents that show how their affair happened largely during the workday and on business trips across the country.
Detectives with the Washington State Patrol, which is investigating whether Reardon misused county funds, have no doubt that Dutton and Reardon had an affair, according to a law-enforcement source close to the investigation.
In interviews with The Times, Dutton described how the two would travel separately before staying together at hotels during trips that included Chicago and Washington, D.C. She said she bought her plane tickets and took vacation time from work.
During both those trips, she said, the executive rarely left her side. In Chicago, he skipped a Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) conference by faking a headache, Dutton said, then hopped in a taxi to go have dinner and drinks.
"I believe she's being truthful, and everyone who's dealt with her believes she's being truthful," the source said of Dutton.
Among the details Dutton has provided are phone records that confirm she spent hours talking with Reardon during the workday.
Dutton said the two also met locally on weekdays, at hotels, Reardon's office, a Reardon friend's apartment in Seattle, or her house.
The investigation has tarnished Reardon's image as a rising star among state Democrats.
3. The Inslee campaign has responded to our story yesterday that major Democratic donor Nick Hanauer—exasperated with the Democratic Party's (and Inslee's) position on education reform ("I have seen the enemy, and it is us" Hanauer says)—has scheduled a meeting with Republican McKenna and may shift support.
Inslee campaign spokeswoman Jaime Smith told PubliCola:
We’re appreciative of Nick’s support and his passion on this issue. Ultimately, creating the kind of education system our kids deserve will require bringing people together and working together. McKenna’s track record on this is troubling. His failure to outline a feasible way to pay for his education plan and his blatant disregard for the teachers and school board members working on the frontlines of educating our kids isn’t the kind of leadership that will improve our schools.
Hanauer has already maxed out to Inlsee, donating $3,200 in September. He is meeting with McKenna, who's running on an ed reform platform, later this month. He's donated nothing to McKenna. Yet.
