Ralph Munro

Ralph Munro, with hat: Politicker photoMINNEAPOLIS - For those unable to attend the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. and are stuck watching the festivities from home, longing for a connection to Washington state, look no further than Ralph Munro's hat.

Arguably the most noticeable aspect of Washington's delegation, certainly on television, is sitting on top of the former secretary of state's already tall body, a blue baseball hat with a bright red feather tufted out on the back that says "McCain Victory Washington State".

"I just put it together for the convention," Munro said of his hat. "I know that conventions are a place where hats are always wild and crazy so I put one together for myself."

MINNEAPOLIS -Ralph Munro, the former long-serving Secretary of State in Washington, gave the delegation another angle from which to look at Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's vice presidential candidacy this morning: the Alaska natural gas pipeline.

Earlier this summer, Palin signed a bill giving the TransCanadaCorp license to build a $26 billion pipeline to transfer natural gas from Alaska's Northern Slope to the lower 48 states.

"She has done more for energy independence in her two short years than almost anyone else in America," Munro said.

MINNEAPOLIS - Kicking off today's delegate luncheon was a who's who of Washington state Republicans from the past two decades, constituting the party's past and its future.

Long time Secretary of State Ralph Munro, U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Spokane) and Party Chair Luke Esser all gave thanks to the party staff and delegates for their hard work and commitment to coming out to Minnesota to make the convention work.

Gorton, who represented the state from 1981-1987 and 1989-2001, went further than that and predicted great things for Republicans in the week ahead.

State Republican leaders greet delegates: Politicker photo

Former Secretary of State Ralph Munro (R-Olympia) has known presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain since 2000, when his son George was an intern for the Arizona senator. At the time, Munro was leaning toward backing then-Governor George W. Bush for President when his son called him and said, "Dad, this guy is for real. You've got to meet him."

The meeting happened, and Munro became an instant supporter of McCain. He became a campaign chair for Washington state during McCain's 2000 presidential run, and still considers himself a strong supporter on the strength of McCain's integrity and knowledge.

Jason Osgood, the only democrat to earn accolades from the right-wing bloggers at Sound Politics, is making an unusual run to the right of Republican incumbent Secretary of State Sam Reed.