Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Washington's Congressional delegation spoke out in favor of today's decision by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' decision to re-open the bidding process for the Air Force KC-767 tankers. Airbus had won the initial contract, which would have cost the state's economy a significant amount of money, but the process was discovered to be flawed by the Government Accountability Office.

Representatives Brian Baird (D-03), Doc Hastings (D-04) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (D-05) have yet to speak on the matter. Links to and excerpts from the rest of the state's elected officials statements are below.

Mark Mays (D-Spokane) will give his campaign for Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers' (R-Colville) 5th Congressional District seat a boost this month when he goes on a listening tour of the Eastern Washington district. His tour, similar ones of which were popularized locally by former Republican Rep. George Nethercutt in 1994 and nationally by Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), will start this week in the southeastern corner of the district.

Mays will hit Dayton, Clarkston and Pullman on Wednesday, July 9, 2008. Full details can be found in the campaign's press release.

Washington's full delegation, with the exception of Rep. Brian Baird (D-Vancouver) spoke out on the Government Accountability Office's decision today to uphold the protest against the decision making process that led to a US Air Force tanker contract to go to Airbus over Boeing earlier this year.

The group unanimously celebrated the GAO's decision because of initial unfairness in the decision making process, and used their statements as an I-told-you-so to those who supported and helped usher the deal through.

"It has been clear all along that the process was flawed, as evidenced by the clear recommendations made by the GAO," said Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Auburn). "This is a great victory for Boeing, Washington state and every American who values our nation's economic and homeland security."

Read all available statements below the jump.

The filing deadline for Washington's candidates for public office ended last Friday afternoon. The full list of filers can be found here at the Secretary of State's website. The Tacoma News-Tribune has also compiled the same list, but theirs is worth including because they denote the incumbent in each race, if applicable.

As with any filing period, there are a few surprises in terms of candidates who filed without formally announcing beforehand, but nothing major. Gov. Chris Gregoire is still seeking re-election, and Dino Rossi is still challenging her for a second time. Attorney General Rob McKenna and Democratic challenger John Ladenburg both remembered to get their paperwork in well before the deadline. The top races in the state before last week will remain the top races going forward.

SPOKANE - Positioning himself as a moderate Democrat, 5th District U.S. House candidate Mark Mays made his presence known at the Washington State Republican Party Convention today. Volunteers for the campaign visited the parking lot across the street from the convention center and dropped fliers off on the windshields of every car touting Mays as "a clear, moderate alternative to the current Representative."

Mays, who is running against Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, said of her in an accompanying press release, "My opponent supports the War in Iraq, has voted for the Patriot Act repeatedly, has voted to create the largest Federal Budget in U.S. History, has refused to defend the Constitutional Balance of Power, and has voted with President George W. Bush 95% of the time. She does not represent the views and values of the people of Eastern Washington."

SPOKANE - Jim Camden at the Spokesman-Review has a detailed recap of the nuts and bolts of Friday's convention action. He reports that the final delegate count to the Republican National Convention is 33 for presumptive nominee Arizona Sen. John McCain, 4 for Texas Rep. Ron Paul, and 3 for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

McCain won Washington's presidential caucus, where half of the state's delegates were awarded, on February 9 with 25 percent of the vote compared to 23 for Huckabee, 22 for Paul and 16 for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. 14 percent were uncommitted. He also won the primary with 50 percent of the vote.

SPOKANE - Check out some of the images of the Washington State Republican Convention. More below the fold.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers: 5th District Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers speaks to Peter Cowman of MoveRed.org