Challenging U.S. Senator Patty Murray
Apr 1, 2010, 2:54 AM | Updated: Mar 28, 2011, 3:46 pm
The filing deadline for political candidates is two months away, and there are already 12 Republican challengers for Democrat Patty Murray’s Senate seat.
Senator Murray’s election site is active as she approaches a run for a fourth term. She was first elected to the Senate in 1992 – a campaign I remember because I was a reporter for KIRO radio back then, assigned to cover that race. Murray was ready to face a popular incumbent. Remember the late Brock Adams? He dropped out of the 1992 election before the primary because of a sex scandal The Seattle Times uncovered. Murray then won the Democratic nomination and defeated Republican Rod Chandler, even though he spent far more money than she raised.
Now, who might challenge the 18-year incumbent?
One possible opponent just launched a website and social media campaign to spread the word about his U.S. Senate bid. The site NotPatty.com is “Paid for by Friends of Chris Widener.” Widener is an author and motivational speaker.
Several other Republicans are confident they can take on Murray:
Paul Akers – Founder of FastCap LLC, an international product development company based in Bellingham
Don Benton – State Senator, former State GOP chair, also served in the House of Representatives, ad agency owner
Arthur Coday Jr. – General practice physician, seeing mainly Medicare and Medicaid patients
Clint Didier – Former pro-football player, Eastern Washington farmer
Wayne Glover – Army Veteran, truck driver
Scott Johnson – Electrical engineering instructor
Daniel Le Blanc – Training specialist at the Waste Treatment Plant project in Richland
Skip Mercer – Physicist at the Applied Physics Laboratory and Research Professor in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington
Rod Rieger – USMC Veteran, owner of Audio Video Security Systems Inc.
Sean Salazar – Navy Veteran, lead doctor and owner of Cagle Sports Injury Chiropractic
Craig Williams – Power industry professional with experience in nuclear engineering, energy, and real estate
Do the above names and short bios interest you? Are any of these candidates strong enough to go up against Patty Murray? Whose name should be on the list?
Congressional watchers speculate that Dino Rossi and Susan Hutchison might be considering a run for Murray’s job. If they join the race, that would bring the Republican candidate count to 14.
More names could pop up too. The filing deadline isn’t until June for the August primary election.
