SPOKANE — Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., were supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton, but they told the Washington state Democratic convention their party has to now unify behind presumptive presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.
“This has been a history — and a her-story — changing election,” Murray said Saturday.
Cantwell told 1,300 delegates to “put our shoulders to the wheel” for the fall presidential election.
The state Democrats spent much of the day listening to their party’s elected officials and candidates deliver a message with a theme: The last eight years under George Bush as president have been bad and four more years under presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain would be bad, too.
First-time delegates Ron and Carolyn Gooley, a husband and wife from Cheney, wore “grandparents for Obama” buttons and sat in the front row for much of the afternoon.
But some Clinton supporters said they were unhappy.
Michael John O’Connor, a Snohomish County delegate, said except for Murray’s praise of Clinton, there was hardly any mention during the convention of the Clinton’s accomplishments.
Gov. Chris Gregoire accused Republican challenger Dino Rossi of misrepresenting himself as an Olympia outsider who will bring change to state government.
“What’s the difference between my opponent and George W. Bush?” Gregoire asked. “Absolutely nothing.”
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