Up Front AM: Santorum, Obama and now Paul all in one week
First take on the day’s political news from the Up Front team.
Republicans put Washington State on the map: In case you had any doubt, Washington’s Republican March 3rd caucus is officially on the national radar. Ron Paul will be campaigning in the state Thursday, beginning with a rally in Vancouver. Earlier this week, Rick Santorum held a rally in Tacoma and more than 600 enthusiastic supporters came to hear him speak. State Republican Party chair Kirby Wilbur says it’s the first time in his memory that a Republican presidential candidate has come to visit before a caucus (They typically have come out before primaries, but not the caucus he says). Mitt Romney is scheduled to come for a fundraiser on March 1st, but no public event announced as of yet.
Obama on the road: President Obama today is in Milwaukee, delivering his economic message at a Master Lock plant. Then, it’s off to Los Angeles, San Francisco and the Seattle area for a mix of presidential and campaign events. Thursday, the President comes to Boeing’s Everett plant and has a couple eastside fundraisers.
The changing Ninth: Congressman Adam Smith announced this morning that he is one of 11 new members joining the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. His press release notes that the 9th district is home to more than 60,000 Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and people of Asian descent. Worth noting that the state Redistricting Committee significantly changed the boundaries of Smith’s district, making it the first majority-minority district starting with this next election. Smith, who is on the House Armed Services Committee, also loses much of the military constituency in Pierce and Thurston counties as part of redistricting.
McKenna withholds endorsement: The Associated Press reports that Republican gubernatorial hopeful Rob McKenna will not caucus for any particular candidate on March 3rd. Says the report: McKenna campaign spokesman Charles McCray said Tuesday that the attorney general plans to visit a few different caucus locations on March 3 to encourage people who are participating. But McCray says McKenna won’t be voting for or endorsing any candidates.
