The Gortons and Slades - Washington Secretary of State

A duBious honoR 331
dotzAueR AdMiRed the “Washington’s next great senator” theme Paul
Newman had executed flawlessly for Gorton against Magnuson 20 years
earlier. At 72, Slade was now only three years younger than Maggie had
been in 1980. He was so vigorous, however, and as sharp as ever that
there was no way to portray him as a geezer—although TV lights irritated
his sensitive eyes and caused him to blink like a signal light on a battleship.
Dotzauer said Gorton wasn’t so much old as he was old-school politics,
writing riders in the dead of night. Still, youth must be served. Slade
came in with tail fins and Sputnik. Maria would take him out with laptops
and BlackBerries. They’d be aggressive but cool. What Washington
State needed, Cantwell said, was fewer angry words. Gorton represented
the “politics of division.” When the Cantwell campaign bus departed on a
20-day road trip, she quoted JFK: “It’s time for a new generation of leadership,
for there is a new world to be won.” 24
In May, Cantwell edged ahead of Senn and was gaining on Gorton. By
August, she was well clear of Senn and in a dead heat with Gorton, with
20 percent undecided. Americans for Job Security, a Virginia-based trade
group funded by the insurance and forest products industries, was spending
$548,000 on airtime to attack Cantwell as a creature “from the other
Washington.” 25
A week before the primary, Senn and Cantwell had a sizzling debate.
Senn said she was tired of being characterized as a pit bull, then barked
that RealNetworks had been caught spying on its customers. Cantwell eyed
her with icy disdain. “We already have a senator who pits the people of
this state against each other,” she said. “ . . .Why would we want to elect
another?” 26
Nomination in the bag, Dotzauer was rooting for the Libertarian candidate,
Jeff Jared. “I was praying for that guy to get enough votes to qualify
for the general election ballot. He was critical to our success. Critical.”
Cantwell’s campaign manager figured most of those Libertarian votes
would otherwise go to Gorton come November.
Tony Williams was also wary of Jared, but his immediate concern was
Slade finishing first in the primary. “We were playing for perception. If
Slade came in second, our fundraising in D.C. would have dried up.
Cantwell didn’t have to spend money to raise money like we did, or expend
a lot of time and energy dialing for dollars. She just got out her
checkbook or met with her banker. She spent $5 million just to make sure
she’d win the nomination.” 27
Brock Adams sent Cantwell $500, telling reporters, “I just want to see
Gorton defeated.” 28