U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert stays out of governor’s race

Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert announced Friday what many political insiders had presumed: He’s staying in Congress and won’t challenge Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee in 2016.

Reichert, an Auburn resident, issued a statement saying that while he’s been “extremely disappointed” in Inslee, he feels he can better serve the state as a member of Congress and will seek a seventh term next year. Reichert represents the 8th Congressional District, which includes parts of King, Pierce, Chelan and Kittitas counties.

“I wrestled with this question, and spent many sleepless nights thinking about how, moving forward, I could best give back to the people of this state,” he said in the statement.

His decision leaves Bill Bryant, a Seattle port commissioner, as the Republican Party’s top challenger to Inslee in next year’s gubernatorial election.

“It’s an ideal situation in that we have a clear field so we can focus on an incumbent who has no record of accomplishment, pursues an extreme personal agenda and has no ability to pull people together,” Bryant said Friday.

Bryant seemed to have secured the position of party frontrunner several weeks ago when he picked up endorsements from two party icons — former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton and former three-term governor Dan Evans.

He’s also received the backing of 35 Republican state lawmakers including Sen. Barbara Bailey of Oak Harbor and Reps. Dave Hayes of Camano Island and Mark Harmsworth of Mill Creek.

But his status as the party’s torchbearer in this contest remained in doubt as long as Reichert considered entering the race.

Now Reichert joins other well-known Republican officeholders who’ve decided against running, including state Sens. Andy Hill of Redmond, Steve Litzow of Mercer Island and Bruce Dammeier of Puyallup.

State Democratic Party leaders literally jumped for joy at the announcement.

“Dave Reichert understood he was going to face an uphill climb having to defend his record to Washington voters,” said Jaxon Ravens, state party chairman in a statement. “Now the Republicans are left with little-known Bill Bryant, after every other Republican approached to run turned down the offer.”

Susan Hutchison, chairwoman of the state GOP, lauded both men in her statement,

She said the state will be “well served” by Reichert’s continued presence in Congress.

And, of Bryant, she said he’s running a strong campaign “to replace the Governor who can’t govern, Jay Inslee.”

Representatives of Inslee’s campaign declined comment Friday.

Republican leaders must still decide how much the state party will invest in a Bryant bid. Anything perceived as less than all-in will be seized on by Democrat operatives as a concession they don’t believe Bryant can beat Inslee.

In 2012, the party provided $2 million directly to Rob McKenna’s campaign plus another $500,000 of in-kind contributions, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Public Disclosure Commission.

Nearly all of that arrived in the general election, so there’s plenty of time to watch how Bryant’s campaign evolves and political events unfold.

Strategists with the Republican Governors Association are mulling the same kind of questions.

In 2012, the RGA shelled out roughly $9 million in ads and mailers against Inslee. RGA officials have yet to signal a willingness to expend that much again.

They, too, want to see if Bryant’s campaign can raise money and build an organization capable of taking on — and taking down — an incumbent Democratic governor in a state that hasn’t elected a Republican governor in 35 years.

Bryant had reported raising $621,000 as of Tuesday. His total could grow quickly as potential donors had been waiting for Reichert to decide.

Inslee, meanwhile, is picking up the pace in his campaign and had raised $2.6 million through the end of September.

Earlier this month he held fundraisers on the East Coast. And earlier this week he met with billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer at a Democratic Governor’s Association gathering in Walla Walla.

Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com.