Morning Fizz
Accurately Summarizing Rob McKenna's Lousy Month
Caffeinated News & Gossip. Your daily Morning Fizz.
1. Save Our Sonics co-founder Brian Robinson and Sonics arena proponent Chris Hansen will be hosting a pro-arena event this evening at Sport Restaurant and Bar on lower Queen Anne, 140 4th Avenue N.
Hansen is in town this week meeting with city officials, including city council members, about his proposed half-billion-dollar arena; earlier this week, the council (minus Bruce Harrell) sent Hansen a letter outlining their concerns about the arena proposal.
2. DC political site Politico says Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee won the month of July, accurately summarizing Rob McKenna's lousy month: Tweetgate, Essex Portergate (or should we say gait), and the Supreme Court's Obamacare ruling, which went against cocky plaintiff McKenna and led to some tortured exchanges with the press.
Politico says the next test is who wins the August primary, which we say will most certainly go to McKenna. The low-turnout August vote favors the Republican and the candidate with statewide name ID. In both instances, that's Attorney General McKenna.[pullquote]The business PAC, Enterprise Washington, and LEV have collectively put another $26,793 in just the last week.[/pullquote]
3. The last time we checked in with business Democrat candidate Stephanie Bowman in the 11th Congressional District (one week ago), she'd gotten about $40,000 total in outside help in independent expenditures from local business PACs and the ed reform groups Stand for Children and the League of Education Voters.
The business PAC, Enterprise Washington, and LEV have collectively put another $26,793 in just the last week. The Enterprise Washington money went to Seattle political consultant Cathy Allen for direct mail.
Bowman, a former Port of Tacoma and Seattle Chamber staffer, is running in crowded field that includes Seattle Port Commissioner Rob Holland, dentist Bobby Virk, and teacher Stephen Bergquist.
Bowman has said she opposes charter schools, the ed reformers' big issue this election.
4. Speaking of LEV, the McKenna and Inslee camps are both still waiting on the group's important endorsement. Stand for Children made a splash by endorsing McKenna—but Inslee has tweaked his reform message, embracing the idea that teacher evaluations should play a "significant" part in management decisions.
The two candidates are in a dead heat when it comes to voters' sense of their education platforms. LEV's endorsement—their founder bashed Inslee earlier this year before Inslee recalibrated—will be a significant get for either candidate.
5. Late yesterday, we reported that Inslee had gotten (another) whopping donation from the Washington State Democratic Central Committee—a $151,000 in-kind contribution bringing the state party's total giving to Inslee to more than $1 million.
We have a message in to the Inslee camp and the Democrats to see what the $151,000 in-kind went for.
UPDATE: The Democrats say most of the money, $140,000 was a direct contribution, not an in-kind. (They say there was a typo on the form. ) The rest of the money, $11,000, was an in-kind; they donated some staff time to Inslee's campaign.
1. Save Our Sonics co-founder Brian Robinson and Sonics arena proponent Chris Hansen will be hosting a pro-arena event this evening at Sport Restaurant and Bar on lower Queen Anne, 140 4th Avenue N.
Hansen is in town this week meeting with city officials, including city council members, about his proposed half-billion-dollar arena; earlier this week, the council (minus Bruce Harrell) sent Hansen a letter outlining their concerns about the arena proposal.
2. DC political site Politico says Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee won the month of July, accurately summarizing Rob McKenna's lousy month: Tweetgate, Essex Portergate (or should we say gait), and the Supreme Court's Obamacare ruling, which went against cocky plaintiff McKenna and led to some tortured exchanges with the press.
Politico says the next test is who wins the August primary, which we say will most certainly go to McKenna. The low-turnout August vote favors the Republican and the candidate with statewide name ID. In both instances, that's Attorney General McKenna.[pullquote]The business PAC, Enterprise Washington, and LEV have collectively put another $26,793 in just the last week.[/pullquote]
3. The last time we checked in with business Democrat candidate Stephanie Bowman in the 11th Congressional District (one week ago), she'd gotten about $40,000 total in outside help in independent expenditures from local business PACs and the ed reform groups Stand for Children and the League of Education Voters.
The business PAC, Enterprise Washington, and LEV have collectively put another $26,793 in just the last week. The Enterprise Washington money went to Seattle political consultant Cathy Allen for direct mail.
Bowman, a former Port of Tacoma and Seattle Chamber staffer, is running in crowded field that includes Seattle Port Commissioner Rob Holland, dentist Bobby Virk, and teacher Stephen Bergquist.
Bowman has said she opposes charter schools, the ed reformers' big issue this election.
4. Speaking of LEV, the McKenna and Inslee camps are both still waiting on the group's important endorsement. Stand for Children made a splash by endorsing McKenna—but Inslee has tweaked his reform message, embracing the idea that teacher evaluations should play a "significant" part in management decisions.
The two candidates are in a dead heat when it comes to voters' sense of their education platforms. LEV's endorsement—their founder bashed Inslee earlier this year before Inslee recalibrated—will be a significant get for either candidate.
5. Late yesterday, we reported that Inslee had gotten (another) whopping donation from the Washington State Democratic Central Committee—a $151,000 in-kind contribution bringing the state party's total giving to Inslee to more than $1 million.
We have a message in to the Inslee camp and the Democrats to see what the $151,000 in-kind went for.
UPDATE: The Democrats say most of the money, $140,000 was a direct contribution, not an in-kind. (They say there was a typo on the form. ) The rest of the money, $11,000, was an in-kind; they donated some staff time to Inslee's campaign.
