Profile of Washington’s Democratic Gubernatorial Candidates

07/26/2004

Washington’s democrats voting in the September primary will have their choice between two candidates – King County Executive Ron Sims and State Attorney General Christine Gregoire. Both candidates laid out their platforms on Weekday recently. KUOW’s Andrea Smardon prepared this report.

THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES CAN BE SUMMED UP IN A WORD - TAXES. RON SIMS WANTS TAX REFORM:

Sims: “I believe that we have to lower the property tax, there’s not many candidates out there saying let’s lower the property tax. I want to lower the sales tax. I want to lower the tax burden on middle class and poor people, I really do. I think that this state needs to do that, and then tax the wealth that’s been generated here over the last 15-20 years that remains untaxed today.”

AS PART OF HIS PLAN TO SHIFT THE BURDEN, SIMS SAYS WASHINGTON STATE NEEDS AN INCOME TAX. CHRISTINE GREGOIRE DISAGREES WITH THAT NOTION. SHE SAYS THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO REFORM TAXES.

Gregoire: “Washingtonians are afraid right now; they’re afraid about their economic future, and whether they’re going to have a job that has decent benefits like health care and retirement, so to be talking about taxes today translates to the average citizen as ‘we’re going to raise your taxes’. Wrong message when we’re coming out of a recession.”

BOTH CANDIDATES CLAIM EDUCATION AS A TOP PRIORITY, BUT THEY DISAGREE ON HOW TO FUND IT. PROPOSED STATE INITIATIVE 884 WOULD USE A SALES TAX INCREASE TO PAY FOR EDUCATION. SIMS SUPPORTS IT AS AN INTERIM SOLUTION:

Sims: “I think what the League of Education is doing is saying we need to move forward with a commitment to education and the only means they have to do that right now is a sales tax measure.”

GREGOIRE OPPOSES I-884, SAYING RAISING THE SALES TAX IS NOT THE ANSWER.

Gregoire: “ We’re adding on to what is already a very regressive tax in the state of Washington, hitting hardest those who can least afford it, so Mr. Sims is supporting that tax increase as well, and again, I’m saying, rather than talking about tax increases, let’s talk about jobs.”

VOTERS WILL DECIDE ON SEPTEMBER 14TH WHICH DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE WILL FACE REPUBLICAN DINO ROSSI IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION. I’M ANDREA SMARDON, KUOW NEWS.