Repub. Rossi announces challenge to Sen. Murray

Former gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi formally announced this morning that he will enter the U.S. Senate race against three-term incumbent Sen. Patty Murray (D).

In a five-minute video statement, Rossi asks supporters to join his campaign “to help put things right.” Murray is the fourth ranking Democrat in the senate.

Rossi’s entry adds to a crowded GOP field that includes state senator Don Benton, R-Vancouver, Clint Didier, a former NFL player who was recently endorsed by Sarah Palin, and Craig Williams, a Vancouver real estate agent and energy trader.

“I look forward to debating him on the issues confronting us today,” Benton said on the eve of Rossi’s announcement. “We will continue to evaluate the effect of his entry into this race, but we’re looking forward to the lively debates that will ensue in this electoral process.”

Rossi, a two-time gubernatorial candidate, cited concerns over the national debt, the health care reform bill and the stimulus package as reasons he decided to launch his bid.

“I know I won’t be able to look my children, and someday their children, in the eye if I do nothing while this fundamental redefinition of America continues unchecked,” he said in the video. “I believe the policies being passed in Washington D.C. have put us on the edge of a fiscal cliff.”

Click here to watch Rossi’s announcement.