Repub. Rossi announces challenge to Sen. Murray
State Sen. Don Benton sought to portray himself Wednesday as the anti-establishment candidate for the U.S. Senate and as “an independent voice that will take on both parties and stand up for common sense and fiscal responsibility.”
“We can no longer look to the establishment to turn our economy and our country around,” Benton said in a statement released after fellow Republican Dino Rossi declared by video that he would enter the race to unseat U.S. Sen. Patty Murray.
Benton, R-Vancouver, has served in the Legislature since 1995 and is a consistent Republican vote in Olympia, though he has been known to cross party lines. His message in the current Senate race is consistent with the GOP national agenda, which calls for reduced federal spending and a return to core functions of government.
Benton welcomed Rossi into the race and said he has no plan to withdraw.
“My family and I have made many sacrifices in order to run this campaign and to make a difference in our state and nation,” he said. “We are in this to win it in November and to get to work to put our country back on the right track.”
Eastern Washington farmer and former NFL player Clint Didier, a self-described Tea Party member who has won the endorsement of Sarah Palin, also claimed the mantle of independent.
“The people of Washington state have a choice,” he said in a statement. “We now have a GOP-established candidate, or a citizen statesman who is a part of the grass-roots movement and wants to work shoulder-to-shoulder with the people.”
“Even with this new addition to the race, I hope the team effort by all the declared candidates will work toward achieving the main goal” of replacing Murray in the U.S. Senate, Didier said.
Kathie Durbin: 360-735-4523 or kathie.durbin@columbian.com.
