The Gortons and Slades - Washington Secretary of State

244 sLAde goRton: A hALf centuRy in poLitics
Lowry and Gorton on the campaign trail in 1988 as seen by David Horsey,
the Seattle P-I’s two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Adams made things worse when he refused to answer any questions,
instructing his subordinates and friends to do likewise—“a modified
limited hangout” in Watergatespeak. It didn’t work any better for Adams
than Nixon. While the senator stonewalled, Tupper granted long interviews
that enhanced her credibility. “All you do when you don’t take questions
is you raise questions,” said Ron Dotzauer, by then a leading Democratic
consultant in Seattle. “Containment is implied deceit.” Kapolczynski
groused that political reporters “all seem to be on the sex and drug beat,”
while another Lowry campaign aide suggested, “Maybe Brock could find
a trade mission in Europe until this election is over.” McGavick gave strict
orders to not comment on the controversy. “The word was very quickly
put out: Chortle in private,” said one Republican insider. The story took
Adams out of play for the Lowry campaign and likely prompted some voters
to rethink their decision to oust Gorton two years earlier. 30
heAding into octoBeR, polls indicated Gorton had a five- to seven-point
lead. The campaign had aired a series of 30-second spots hammering
Lowry for voting against a sweeping anti-drug bill. “Apparently the drug
problem doesn’t scare Mike Lowry,” Gorton warned, “and that’s a fright-