SEATTLE — With the 2011 election at an end, the 2012 battle for governor moved quickly into the political spotlight.
Today, U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, the leading Democratic candidate, is hosting former Vice President Al Gore at a fundraiser in Seattle. Gore is the featured guest at the sold-out event at noon at the Paramount Theatre.
His appearance is no doubt intended to help light a fire under the feet of environmental activists whose money and support will be pivotal for Inslee in 2012.
Gore, who served eight years alongside President Bill Clinton, was a co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his work on climate change showcased in the Academy Award-winning movie, “An Inconvenient Truth.”
On Tuesday, supporters of Republican state Attorney General Rob McKenna packed the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue for a breakfast fundraiser. Roughly 1,600 people gathered to hear McKenna describe his plans for creating jobs, reforming education and streamlining state government.
In his speech, McKenna said he would move to improve the climate for business by erasing onerous regulations, lowering unemployment insurance rates and enacting “meaningful tort reform.”
On education, he called for linking the pay of teachers to the achievement of their students, pay some teachers more money if they work in rural areas, and provide a longer school year for children at risk of not succeeding academically.
McKenna, who pledged to make state government “leaner, more productive and results-oriented,” also said he wants the number of state workers reduced through attrition and employees required to pay more for their health insurance premiums.
The candidates’ websites can be found at www.jayinslee.com and robmckenna.org.
Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
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