Washington Governor Faces Ethics Complaints From GOP Rival

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire faces conflict-of-interest accusations as she enters the final three months of a tough re-election campaign. The Democratic governor is battling GOP challenger Dino Rossi, who lost the governorship by fewer than 140 votes after two recounts in 2004. But Rossi is crying foul over the involvement this year of the powerful Service Employees International Union. Gregoire is getting a big boost in her campaign from the SEIU, which includes more than 30,000 state workers and is funding ads attacking Rossi. At the same time, Gregoire is involved with contract negotiations to decide the union members’ pay and benefits. “When you have one party, whether it’s Republican or Democrat, that’s in power for so long, you end up with the appearance of institutional corruption, and that’s what this looks like,” Rossi said. The complaints don’t stop there. State Republicans suggest there is a pattern that started with a deal Gregoire ... (link)