SEATTLE – Republicans like Rob McKenna’s chances of winning the state Attorney General’s Office: The King County councilman has a strong base in one of the state’s most heavily populated areas, and his opponent is a magnet for controversy.
But Washington is a left-leaning state, and former Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn has won statewide races twice before.
Recent polls show a tight race, with Senn leading in a KING-TV poll by 5 percentage points – just outside the 4-point margin of error. She trailed by 8 points among men in the poll, but led by 18 among women, a sign of another Senn strong point: A female name on the ballot has been a proven plus in Washington state elections in recent years.
And with a big surge of new voter registration expected for the hot presidential race, Democrats are hoping for a big tide. The current attorney general, Democrat Christine Gregoire, has been leading Republican Dino Rossi in the governor’s race, while President Bush has been lagging behind John Kerry.
“The organizations registering new voters are primarily focusing on urban and young voters,” says Democratic strategist Cathy Allen. “That drives down the average voter’s age from 56-60 to the early to mid-50s. That’s good for Democrats and progressive causes.”
GOP consultant Brett Bader discounts the notion that new registrants are heavily Democratic.
“Deborah Senn’s only hope of victory is a giant Democratic turnout,” says Bader, who has worked for McKenna’s campaign. “She certainly cannot win this election on the issues or the strength of her qualifications, and both sides can play the voter registration game.”
Attorney general is the state’s second-most-powerful office. The office’s more than 400 lawyers provide legal advice to state agencies, boards and commissions as well as the Legislature. It also represents the state in lawsuits and aids county prosecutors in complex cases.
Senn won races for insurance commissioner in 1992 and 1996, but was trounced by Maria Cantwell in the Democratic Senate primary in 2000. She had a tough time in the Democratic primary this time around, too – edging former Seattle City Attorney Mark Sidran despite a series of withering anti-Senn TV commercials funded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
McKenna’s a rising Republican star, but this is his first time running statewide. He’s been so popular as a King County councilman that he has twice run for reelection unopposed, and he has won GOP friends across the state by attending Republican functions, serving on steering committees and pushing tax-limiting ballot measures.
He had little trouble in the primary, beating Seattle lawyer Mike Vaska 78 percent to 22 percent. He has raised $856,000 to Senn’s $513,000.
Senn, 55, was drawn into law 27 years ago by the environmental movement. She is known as a tough consumer advocate. As insurance commissioner, she fought to keep companies from turning people down for coverage because of a pre-existing condition and to bar insurance companies from kicking people out of their plans.
“As insurance commissioner, I fearlessly stood against the large special interests, and I will do that as attorney general,” she said during a recent debate. She suggested she would fight to lower prescription drug prices, combat predatory lending and investigate whether gas stations have conspired to keep prices high.
In response, McKenna, 41, picked up a thread used by many of Senn’s critics: “You need to make sure you don’t chase away the very companies you’re depending on,” he said. “I don’t have a laundry list of private-sector groups I’m planning to sue all day.”
That was a reference to Senn’s combative relationships with the companies she regulated as insurance commissioner. On her watch the market for individual insurance in Washington collapsed. Senn blames the Legislature for that, while many in the business community blame her.
Hence, the Chamber of Commerce ads in the primary.
McKenna says he would use the job to protect people’s rights, safety and pocketbooks. Among his priorities, he said, would be combating methamphetamine use, pressing for tougher sentences for crimes such as auto theft and supporting law enforcement interests in Olympia.
Just as importantly, he said, he would push to limit lawsuit liability against the state, doctors and businesses, and help the state better avoid lawsuits by making sure “rogue bureaucrats” follow the law.
He and Senn agree the office’s Consumer Protection Division – currently limited to six attorneys – needs more resources, especially to tackle issues such as fighting identity theft and Internet fraud.
Voters are likely to see more of whoever wins. The position is often considered a stepping stone to higher office.
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