Small county, big political event

Savvy political observers likely don't think of Kittitas County when running down the list of strongholds for either the Republicans or the Democrats.

But this largely rural though developing county managed to attract 550 ticket-buyers for the local Republicans' annual Lincoln Day dinner Saturday night. Organizers estimated that the actual crowd of just under 500 filled the ballroom in the student union at Central Washington University to near capacity.

That's twice the crowd they had when Dino Rossi first ran for governor under the GOP banner.

And the total dinner count comes close to the tally for King County's dinner, which brought in more than 600 people.

But King County has a population of nearly 2 million, compared with 30,000 in Kittitas, most of those in the not-so-big city of Ellensbrug.

Kittitas County's accomplishment has raised eyebrows in Republican circles around the state.

"I wish I could clone them. They really have their act together," Luke Esser, the state party chairman, said in a brief phone interview on his way to Ellensburg on Saturday evening.

Organizers say the Rossi factor plays into the growth of their event. Attendance for the dinner was at 250 or so four years ago, when Rossi first ran for governor.

Although he lost by fewer than 150 votes in a controversial outcome, he has stressed all along that he can win if Eastern Washington and rural voters turn out at the same rate as people in King County and Seattle.

Here comes the other factor: As western Kittitas County -- known as the Upper County to locals -- has seen increasing development over the past decade, Republicans had to wonder whether their ballots would undergo a liberal tilt.

It hasn't happened so far, mostly because the average blue-collar worker and metro Seattle Democrat are priced out of the upscale market.

Penthouses at Suncadia outside of Roslyn, the primary development, can go for more than $1 million, and desirable Upper County land alone has plenty of zeros in the pricetag. That means most of the imports hail from Bellevue and the surrounding suburbs.

Voters in those upscale districts tend to favor Republican candidates in most state and national races, though that has fractured a bit.

On the other side of the red-blue line, there are signs that Democrats aren't giving up in Ellensburg.

They don't hold a comparable annual dinner, but the presidential caucuses drew more than 800. Last year, the party endorsed a slate of City Council candidates in a non-partisan campaign that featured debate over retail growth. Party leaders couldn't be reached for this story.

Manweller notes that a college town will always attract a left-leaning mix of professors and staff, and the precinct numbers prove out the point. Democrats dominate the three city precincts, but overall Republicans average a 55-45 split, said Manweller, a political science professor at CWU.

The local GOP has targeted the rural areas to maintain its base. In the four years since Manweller started as chairman, the party's e-mail list has grown from 38 addresses to more than 800.

The success of the dinner itself is part political coincidence, part public relations.

Organizers say they've done a better job of pushing tickets as well as glitzing up the details. The restaurant-style meal is backed up by a live band and a house bar so the audience can save a few bucks. The keynote speaker last year was Michael Medved, a Seattle talk show host well known in conservative circles; besides Rossi, this year's keynote speaker is Jeff Kemp, a motivational speaker and son of former vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp.

Regardless, Kittitas County isn't the only place where Rossi has seen growth -- if dinner tables are any measure.

His campaign says the Lincoln dinner in Jefferson County -- a small rural county across the pond from Seattle that favors Democrats -- had about 200 people, twice the normal count. Boosted numbers were also reported in Cowlitz County and in Klickitat County, where organizers added two tables to accommodate 119 people.

Rossi's hoping to hit 33 dinners across the state. His wife is going for another three on her own to round out the count. (Three counties apparently don't hold the events.)

A spokesman for Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire, who defeated Rossi in 2004 and will face him again this fall, says it's hard to compare the pace of the campaigns right now -- given that the governor has been busy in Olympia.

Due to the freeze on active campaigning during the just-ended legislative session, she's just starting to solicit cash.

Gregoire kicks off her campaign on Monday with a series of statewide stops, including a run through the Yakima Valley on Tuesday.

Gregoire made an appearance at the Ellensburg rodeo last year and also had an official role in permitting wind farms in the region, but her campaign spokeswoman couldn't predict when her schedule might bring her to the area this time.

She's likely to tout her experience running the state -- as well as efforts to maintain ties across the aisle with rural legislators on issues such as water management -- but Republican critics say she hasn't done enough on the budget, education or transportation.

Manweller says his party's active presence in Kittitas County centers on the perception that Rossi has a better chance of winning than voters thought four years ago.

"I would like to take credit for it, but a lot of it is Dino. I think people get excited when they think they can win," Manweller said.

• The Classified Marketplace
• • Announcements
  • Public Notices
  • Legal Notices
  • Merchandise
  • Yard Sales
  • Animals
  • Finance

• Newspaper Ads
  View All