The 2008 Washington gubernatorial race is shaping up as a rematch between Democrat Chris Gregoire and Republican Dino Rossi. But while the candidates may be the same as in 2004, their campaign cars are not. This year both Rossi and Gregoire plan to crisscross the state in hybrid SUVs.
State Rep. Pat Lantz, D-Gig Harbor, is leaving the Legislature, having chaired the Judiciary Committee longer than anyone. She has many good memories and no regrets, but she wonders if Speaker Frank Chopp and other Democrats running the Capitol have lost their nerve.
The second-longest-serving member of the Washington Legislature has confirmed she will not run for re-election. Longtime House Budget Chair Helen Sommers [http://www.leg.wa.gov/house/sommers/], D-Seattle, told me: "This is my last session. I'm not going to run again." Asked why, she laughed and said
