WA Gov candidate: Democrats are tired, looking for moderate Republican

A recent poll suggests Dr. Raul Garcia of Yakima saw a bit of a surge of support in the GOP race for governor. He was a latecomer to the race, but has been getting support from some mainstream Republicans, including former Attorney General Rob McKenna. Dr. Garcia joined the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH to discuss.

What’s his level of confidence going into the primary?

“Well, I think we’re going to win it. We’re really excited about what we’ve done. … And I think the Republican Party that is often fractured and at times divided — I think it’s a message of unity that we have put out there, the message of balance between the health care of our citizens and the health of our small businesses, which there hasn’t been any interest in,” he said.

WA 2nd Congressional District candidate says incumbent Rick Larsen is ‘absent’

“It’s a message of a government that is actually for the people and that will help people succeed and not limit our growth and our prosperity.”

Dr. Garcia says he’s confident in his chances because he has the ability to bring more groups into the tent, and could help bridge the divide between Republicans and those who are disaffected by the Democratic party.

“That unity is the resounding with three groups that have never voted for us before, and I think that we have a great chance of bringing them into the tent,” Garcia said. “First are immigrants. This is the first time that a Cuban immigrant has run for governor in the state of Washington. … Immigrants are hardworking people that have great family values, and I think that we missed the boat, I think that we’ve let the Democrats hijack these people, and I think we need to bridge them.”

WA U.S Attorney: Villainizing of federal law enforcement is shameful

“The second group are the Democrats that are tired, the business owners that have sat down with me in Seattle and have said that this homeless problem has quadrupled in the last eight years and Inslee hasn’t done anything about it,” he added. “And those people are saying we’re looking for a moderate Republican that we can hang our hat on.”

Dr. Garcia says he has also seen some positive polling indicating that he is rising in popularity among young people, a group he believes is important for the future of his campaign and the state.

“I’ve reached out to them and I said, ‘You need to get involved because I could start this and I could set the example. But for us to make a permanent move toward the right direction in Washington, it’s going to be you,’” he said.

To learn more about his campaign, head here.

Listen to the Jason Rantz Show weekday afternoons from 3 – 6 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (or HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here.

Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest