Talmadge sticks it out in his long-shot bid for governor

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

By ANGELA GALLOWAY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Talmadge said yesterday he plans to see through his long-shot campaign, despite a frustrating setback last week.

Still, Talmadge acknowledged that Attorney General Christine Gregoire has essentially been crowned the Democratic nominee for the governor's race -- thanks to support from trial lawyers and labor unions.

Last weekend, he lost to Gregoire the endorsement of the powerful Washington Education Association, the state's largest teachers union. Afterward, Talmadge said he would have to reassess his candidacy.

"It was a blow," Talmadge said yesterday. "I mean, I really wanted that endorsement."

But Talmadge will stick it out -- and intensify his anti-Gregoire theme, he said.

"I have not decided to pull the plug on this campaign," Talmadge said. "I'm going to get a lot more into Christine Gregoire's face."

"There's so much material there," he said.

Talmadge yesterday accused Gregoire of flip-flopping on tax issues. Her campaign accused Talmadge of flip-flopping on other matters.

Talmadge, 52, a Yale-educated appeals lawyer who served in the state Senate for 16 years and on the state Supreme Court for six years, was the first Democrat to announce -- two years ago, long before Democratic Gov. Gary Locke bailed out.

Until then, Talmadge's campaign was sharply critical of Locke. Talmadge has trailed Gregoire and Democratic King County Executive Ron Sims in the polls and in campaign fund raising.

He and Sims badly wanted -- and needed -- the teachers union endorse- ment.

Sims was dropped from the final endorsement ballot, and Gregoire defeated Talmadge 62 percent to 38 percent.

Sims, too, pledged to keep campaigning for September primary election. "I will never get out of this race," Sims said. "I tell kids never let anyone take away your dreams. ... The only person that can take away your dreams is you."

Regarding his plans to sharpen his target on Gregoire, Talmadge said he didn't think voters would cringe to more negativism. "I don't think so. Because, first of all, the reason I ran against Gary Locke was because Gary Locke did extraordinary damage to the health care work that I did."

Locke also failed in education, Talmadge added.

"This candidate -- this attorney general -- is a continuation of those kinds of policies," he said.

The campaign is planning a Seattle event Friday, sponsored by a number of activists who backed Howard Dean for the Democratic nomination for president, Talmadge's spokesman said.

This report includes information from The Associated Press. P-I reporter Angela Galloway can be reached at 206-448-8333 or angelagalloway@seattlepi.com

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