Republican Dino Rossi officially announced his candidacy Wednesday morning for a U.S. Senate seat in Washington state, ending months of speculation about whether the former gubernatorial candidate would enter the race.
Mr. Rossi, 50, now becomes the party’s presumptive favorite to take on Democrat Sen. Patty Murray in the November election. An average of recent polls done by the website Real Clear Politics showed Mrs. Murray, a three-term incumbent and member of the Senate Democratic leadership, ahead of Mr. Rossi by just 3 percentage points.
Mr. Rossi made his announcement in a five-minute online video in which he asks voters whether they are angry and frustrated over such issues as unemployment, declining home values, Wall Street bailouts and the growing federal budget deficit.
“If, like me, you answer ’yes’ to these questions, I hope you’ll join me in a great campaign to help put things right,” he said.
Mr. Rossi, also a former state Senate member, joins an already crowded Republican field that includes state Sen. Don Benton and former Washington Redskins football player Clint Didier, who was recently endorsed by former Alaska Gov. and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
The primary is Aug. 17.
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