Celebrity isn't everything when it comes to newspaper endorsements.
Ross skips PI ed board interviews; gets make-up test.
Alben, Tebelius are the first to hit TV.
Possible roadblock for Alben.
More below the fold...
Two King County newspapers have made the same pair of endorsements: Alben for the Democrats; Diane Tebelius for the GOP.
The Eastside-centric King County Journal notes
Alex Alben, who retired at age 45 from RealNetworks, has spent considerable time researching and understanding the complex issues that confront the district.
Drawing from his background in the high-tech world, Alben recognizes that a highly skilled work force and innovative ideas are necessary to keep our country competitive. To do so he would ask that federal funds be allocated to promote math, science and engineering in high school and encourage universities to graduate more Ph.D's in those areas.
He would fund health-care improvements by repealing some of Bush's tax cuts, end federal programs no longer needed and expect more efficiency from all federal agencies. Alben also has produced what he calls a blueprint for energy independence, which calls for federal tax credits for development of alternative forms of energy, among other ideas, and requiring auto makers to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Though their endorsement for Tebelius, not surprisingly, is a little bit more glowing...
Diane Tebelius' background has given her the skills and knowledge to provide strong leadership for the 8th Congressional District. She has been a school teacher and a tax lawyer and understands the inner workings of the federal government as a former federal prosecutor and special counsel to the U.S. Senate Budget Committee.
She is articulate and informed and we expect she would speak her mind on issues important to the district.
Tebelius believes government should set priorities for spending and would push for a bipartisan commission to do so at the federal level. She is pragmatic enough to realize that as a freshman she would have to home in on some specific issues to be the most effective for our region. She has targeted such issues as energy (she favors a national energy policy) and water (finding alternative sources for the district). Bringing home federal money for the suburbs is a skill at which Jennifer Dunn excelled during her terms in Congress and Tebelius seems to have the moxie to do the same.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer broadcasts its editorial board interviews on TVW, which is basically Washington State's C-SPAN. All the candidates for each primary are together. Usually.
It's not entirely clear why Dave Ross wasn't there; maybe the dog ate his invitation. But whatever the reason, it was innocuous enough that he was apparently granted a make-up test. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't enough to convince them to endorse him.
However, if you had been paying attention to the PI lately, the writing was already on the wall.
Alben is sharp-tongued and superlatively informed. Asked about the Patriot Act, he retorted: "9/11 changed the world. It did not suspend the U.S. Constitution," and he launched into a critical analysis as detailed as Tebelius' defense. A debate between these two would be the most entertaining event of Washington's political season.
Alben for the Dems is fairly glowing...
The district's changing demographics and the retirement of Republican U.S. Rep. Jennifer Dunn have created a strong field. The best Democratic candidate is Alex Alben, the only one who declared for the race before Dunn's surprise retirement decision.
Alben brings passion, intellectual firepower and the fresh perspective of a former high-tech executive. He has the potential to be a pragmatic but distinctly Democratic representative who would suit the district well.
Tebelius for the GOP is possibly a bit less glowing...
We believe Diane Tebelius has the most ability among the Republican candidates to represent the district's interests strongly from the start. Tebelius (pronounced Ta-bail-yus) is a narrow choice over King County Sheriff Dave Reichert, whose name familiarity and engaging manner would be electoral strengths in November, and state Sen. Luke Esser, who as a legislator has acted as a thoughtful consensus builder. The fourth candidate is Conrad Lee, a Bellevue City Council member and the Small Business Administration's regional administrator.
Voters may need convincing that any of them would carry on Dunn's conservative but independent-minded views, particularly on abortion. The four Republicans stress their pro-life positions.
Tebelius takes standard GOP stances, not surprising for a Republican national committeewoman. Her strength lies in an impressive public service background; she served as special counsel to the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, as federal prosecutor in Seattle from 1986 to 2002 and currently is the regional U.S. Trustee, managing Northwest offices overseeing the administration of bankruptcy cases.
Alben and Tebelius are the first to hit the airwaves...
Sadly I cannot find an on-line copy of the Alben campaign press release titled:
Alben Begins Robust Three Week TV Ad Buy With
Creative Spot Focusing on Energy Plan, Jobs Plan, Hamster
But there's this PI article about upcoming spending.
Alex Alben, a Democratic hopeful and former RealNetworks executive, is the first to ride on the expensive airwaves of broadcast television. The first of a series of scheduled ads to run until the election airs today.
The ads run will cost more than $250,000.
Alben's spokesman, Ben Vaught, would not disclose exactly how much the campaign intended to spend on the ads, only that the buy was "substantial." Vaught said the ad campaign "will be more than enough to let people know about Alben's plan for jobs, health care and energy independence."
Don't be looking for Dave Ross on TV anytime soon. Nothing says "We haven't raised that much money" like
"From a cost/benefit standpoint, we just thought the best use of our money was direct mail and contacting each voter one by one," [Ross Campaign Manager Marco] Lowe said. "With the money we could raise, we didn't think TV would be effective.
Tebelius has been advertising on cable TV for a couple weeks however.
Republican Diane Tebelius was the first to advertise on cable TV. She launched her ad that runs on Fox News and other cable news programs on Aug. 14. Campaign manager Dan Brady said Tebelius plans to keep a strong presence on TV throughout the race.
"We believe we are reaching our target Republican audience this way," Brady said.
But there's a potential roadblock for Alben. Ellen Alben that is...
Shareholder accuses congressional candidate's wife
Congressional candidate Alex Alben's wife and his campaign treasurer made millions as executives of Bellevue-based InfoSpace selling the company's stock during its meteoric rise and fall earlier this decade.
A shareholder lawsuit pending in state court accuses them and other former InfoSpace executives of selling shares without telling shareholders that much of the company's revenue was illusory.
Ellen Alben denies any wrongdoing. Alex Alben notes the interesting timing of this lawsuit from a single aggreived shareholder.
"I knew that it would be potentially raised by people in a campaign, but that it was really not relevant," he said. "It doesn't reflect on my qualifications."
Fortunately, Democratic State Chair Paul Barendt was there with a rousing defense of the man he recruited Dave Ross to run against.
[Barendt] said such allegations could prove problematic for a candidate.
"The business of spouses of candidates is a legitimate concern," he said. "Alex and Ellen were both corporate attorneys, so one would assume that they talked shop some at home."
Thanks for the circular firing squad, Paul.
The Washington State primary is on September 14th.