N.M. Gov. Richardson helps Gregoire campaign begin to fight, formally

SEATTLE - In what was dubbed the formal campaign kickoff for Governor Chris Gregoire's re-election, likely the final piece of the ignition that begin on a bus tour in Auburn earlier this month, more than 1300 people ate lunch and contributed to the campaign at Seattle's Westin Hotel. The event, which doubled as a fundraiser charging between $100 for a "Silver Level" ticket up to $2800 to be a "Chris' Crew Member". Free tickets were also available to supporters unable to donate at the silver level.

But yesterday's fundraiser luncheon was very different from any of the bus tour kickoff events, highlighted by local dignitaries and a short stump speech by Gregoire before hopping back on the bus and on to the next town. This time the speech was revamped, video screens flanked the stage with images of Gregoire with the Dalai Lama and a new campaign video, and the dignitary came from out of state in the form of New Mexico Governor and former Presidential candidate, U.N. Ambassador and Energy Secretary Bill Richardson.

Richardson recalled one of his first acts as Secretary of Energy 1998 was to visit Hanford as a gesture from a government that had done little to alleviate the nuclear pollution problem there. The always jovial Richardson said that his advisors warned him against it because of a tough Attorney General in Washington named Christine Gregoire was suing the government on a near daily basis.

"After she got me out of her headlock," the Richardson joked, they were able to reach an agreement.

"I could detect when I first met her," he went on, "that this is a national leader"

The New Mexico Governor also stumped about Gregoire's accomplishments, even joking that he told her she should chosen a time other than 2004 to run in the first place because of the state's 2003 budget deficit. This time around, though, Richardson said it was Rossi who shouldn't run.

"With this record, nobody should even get in this race with this woman," Richardson warned.

In her speech Gregoire talked often of the economy, citing a figure of 220,000 new family-wage jobs under her leadership, and a doubling of state exports notably in items like Boeing planes, Microsoft software, Starbucks coffee, and Columbia River wines. She also touted the top-5 rankings that the magazines Forbes and Fortune recently gave Washington for their business climate.

"These are not Democratic-leaning publications," the Governor bragged.

Gov. Gregoire greets supporters in SeattleIn addition to the economy, Gregoire stuck with her campaign's themes of education, children's health care, a commitment to a clean Puget Sound.

She also actively used the recent visit of the Dalai Lama, and her personal meeting with him, to her advantage. Gregoire said that she agreed with his vision of creating a more caring society and government. The Governor also shared a personal accolade she had received from the Tibetan religious leader.

"He said thank you for being a woman leader," Gregoire said of the Dalai Lama. "Let us go forward with woman leadership and make this country a more compassionate country, this world a more compassionate world with woman leaders. I believe the Dalai Lama is right."

In addition to her name brand issues and her Dalai Lama star turn, Gregoire even channeled her opponent at one point saying in 2004 she "wanted to listen to the people of the state of Washington and serve them like they've never been served before." One of Rossi's main talking points is that he wants to provide Washingtonians with a "customer service-based" government.

All of this was wrapped in a new campaign mantra. Paraphrasing American naval hero John Paul Jones, Gregoire repeatedly told the audience "we have only just begun to fight" on the aforementioned issues.

2004's margin of victory was also a frequent topic at the event, with nearly every speaker on the ticket reminding the audience of supporters and donors that work needed to be done to insure that it did not happen again.

"With your help we are going to make that margin a whole lot bigger in November," Gregoire said early on, and she later gave a more concrete forecast.

"This time," Gregoire predicted, "we're going to do it by 8:10 PM on election night, by a landslide."

With yesterday's formal kickoff, Gregoire has only just begun.

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