The Gortons and Slades - Washington Secretary of State

62 sLAde goRton: A hALf centuRy in poLitics
had an image problem. The Republicans called him “Taxellini” and accused
him of cronyism. Still, Attorney General O’Connell opted to run
for re-election rather than challenge the governor. Big Daddy Day stayed
out too, realizing that a chiropractor from Spokane—no less one who’d
conspired with Republicans—was a long shot to defeat a sitting governor
for the Democratic nomination.
The Republican frontrunner was 34–year-old Richard G. Christensen,
a Lutheran minister with fiery eyes and a “family values” platform. Some
members of the Evans camp called him “Christ-ensen.” He’d given U.S.
Senator Warren Magnuson a too-close-for-comfort race in 1962 by suggesting
that the veteran Democrat was soft on communism. Christensen
and Evans were ideological opposites, two young men competing not just
for the nomination but for the opportunity to set the party’s course for
years to come. The third contender was Joe Gandy, an old-guard, downtown
Seattle Republican.
Although Evans trailed badly in the first polls and the campaign was
often close to broke, the Pritchards were so irrepressible it was infectious.
Joel organized armies of doorbellers; Frank oversaw advertising and polling;
Slade worked the rubber chicken circuit; Gummie ordered buttons
and brochures outlining Evans’ “Blueprint for Progress.” Dolliver did
double duty as the campaign committee chairman and candidate’s chauffeur.
A Swarthmore graduate with a salt-and-pepper beard and infectious
laugh, Dolliver called the committee the Chinese Communists because
“they were always arguing with each other.” Joel’s nickname was the one
that stuck: They were “Dan Evans’ Group of Heavy Thinkers,” DEGOHT
for short. 2
At work, Gorton was walking on eggshells for several months. Gandy
was a senior partner in the law firm. Everyone knew Gorton was an Evans
man but there was never any flak. “As it turned out,” Slade says, “the two
best things that ever happened to the Evans’ campaign were Gandy getting
in and Gandy getting out. When Joe got in, he expected to pick up the
support of the downtown business community lock, stock and barrel. By
that time, however, we’d already picked up a lot of those people. They were
saying, ‘Sorry, Joe, but we already committed to Dan.’ Gandy gave us a
huge extra motivation: He made us work just that much harder. Then, of
course, when he got out he endorsed Dan.”
Frank Pritchard says Slade had a habit that amazed him. “He’s the only
guy I’ve ever known who could sit in a meeting room intently reading a
newspaper and at any point jump right into the meeting without missing
a beat.”