Dino Rossi in The Associated Press

On Principles & Values: Lost 2004 race for governor by 133 votes

Murray, 60, was elected to the Senate in 1992, 1998 and 2004. Her campaign has drawn visits from President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

Rossi is a real estate developer who has twice lost races for governor. Rossi, 50, lost to Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire by 133 votes in 2004 after two recounts. He lost to her by nearly 200,000 votes in 2008. He is seeking to capitalize on anti-incumbent sentiment in a state that has voted Democrat the past six presidential elections.

Source: Associated Press coverage of 2010 WA Senate debate Oct 14, 2010

On Tax Reform: Extend Bush tax cuts; allow entrepreneurs to be successful

Murray continually hammered Rossi for supporting extension of the Bush-era tax cuts that benefit the wealthy. She said those tax breaks take away revenue that could be used for Social Security and health programs. "If Rossi gets his way and extends the Bush tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans to the tune of almost $1 trillion, there is no way to sustain the programs so important to us," Murray said.

Rossi hammered Murray as a 3-term incumbent who constantly voted for bigger government programs and more government control of business. "You have an 18-year incumbent killing jobs in the state of Washington in vote after vote," Rossi said. "I want to allow entrepreneurs to be successful."

As she has done throughout the campaign, Murray sought to paint Rossi as a friend to Wall Street & big banks. Rossi, a real estate developer, branded Murray as a big-spending liberal. The candidates referred constantly to the fight over extending the 2001 & 2003 tax cuts to individuals making more than $200,000

Source: Associated Press coverage of 2010 WA Senate debate Oct 14, 2010

The above quotations are from Columns and news articles distributed by the Associated Press. Click here for other excerpts from Columns and news articles distributed by the Associated Press. Click here for other excerpts by Dino Rossi. Click here for a profile of Dino Rossi.
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Page last updated: Feb 15, 2019