booth gardner - Washington Secretary of State

vote. Maleng, who many believe would have been a great governor, won only 15 percent.
Williams’ ebullience in victory was overshadowed by the stunning vote of confidence
for Booth Gardner, who captured 57.6 percent. In the previous 40 years, the best any
incumbent governor had done in a primary election was Dan Evans’ 43.4 percent in 1968.
“This will be fun,” said Gardner, immediately rejecting Williams’ call for five debates. Two
would be plenty, he said, adding that he expected Williams to be more of an irritant than
a threat: “He’ll be like a mosquito in a closed room.” But Williams warned that he could
“sting like a bee.” He went on to stage several debates with a cardboard cutout labeled
“Booth Gardner.” The real thing, he said, was a bleeding heart, tax-and-spend liberal who
coddles criminals.
Dixy Lee Ray visited the Tri-Cities to stump for Williams. Displaying her usual political
acumen, she said Gardner better watch out – Williams was closing the gap. Polls projecting
Gardner a landslide winner were
suspect, the former governor said,
because pollsters can easily slant
results “by the way they put the
questions.”
When Williams finally got
Gardner on the same platform, he
was so frustrated that he came out
swinging wildly. Gardner dismissed
the attacks with an analogy that
wasn’t altogether flattering. He said
Williams was “like a flea boring in on
a sleeping dog.” (With mosquitoes,
bees and fleas, the campaign could
have used some metaphorical insecticide.) Williams, in any case, was never able to get an
inch of traction. He was crushed like an ant. Gardner won a second term with 62.2 percent
of the vote.
Al Rosellini congratulates Booth on his reelection. Jim Davidson photo,
Gardner family album.
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