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News worth noting today:
Further scrutiny of that Strategies 360 poll shows that Inslee's support is a touch soft at present in King County. McKenna's team says to win, Inslee will need to "run the table" there; Inslee's team is not worried. My bet: Inslee will shore up support in King County pretty quickly and well, but anecdotal evidence suggests that McKenna doesn't have quite the bad rap that most Republicans do with some King County voters; President Obama is fundraising in...

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Items of interest out of WA over the past 24 hours (or so):
A Northwest-based lobbying firm headed up by a former aide to Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Bremerton) worked on loan guarantees to Solyndra; More people support liquor sale privatization than oppose it, per a new Strategies 360 poll (however, opposition may be increasing); Lots of people want to tax medical marijuana (also, lots of people seem cool with allowing folks to use pot for whatever purpose); And more people like...

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Today, in WA:
A Moore Information poll indicates Sen. Maria Cantwell could be in trouble as she heads into her 2012 re-election battle. Per the Everett Herald's write-up, the survey "found only 38 percent think the two-term incumbent deserves re-election while 46 percent say it's time for a new person in the job." Moore is a Republican outfit; its voter sample for this poll split like this: 32 percent Democrat; 22 percent Republican; 46 percent Independent. 54 percent of respondents...

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Some items making news in WA over the last 24 hours:
Three out of four WA redistricting proposals create a new majority-minority congressional district (also read Bryan Myrick's piece here, which preceded yesterday's news). Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic pledges to campaign for Jon Huntsman, and seeks nomination as head of Bass Tossers Department. Kucinich is staying in Ohio.

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Beginning today, at around noon ET each day (give or take an hour), I'm going to aim to post what I'll be calling "WA Daily Bullet Points," a summary of interesting tidbits relevant to politics, and occasionally other things, affecting my home state.
Here's the inaugural edition:
Jay Inslee brings in $500k in August, bringing his total war chest to $1.62 million. Rob McKenna outspends Inslee as the gubernatorial race heats up. Ron Sims might, maybe, run for Seattle Mayor...

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As media focus on Rick Perry's presidential campaign continues to mount, Politico's Mike Allen reports this morning on Team Perry's senior staff composition in a piece that is unlikely to grab headlines or attention to a large degree (staffing isn't as sexy as allegations of "Dominionism") but which is arguably quite important:
Here are brief bios of the team:
—Campaign Manager Rob Johnson recently served as senior adviser to Gov. Perry in...

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From the NW Daily Marker:
[I]n Sunday’s Everett Herald came the rumor that State Senator Michael Baumgartner is considering entering the 2012 Senate race against Maria Cantwell. It now appears that it is more than a rumor, with an exploratory committee perhaps in the works.
Despite his relative youth (Baumgartner is 35) he already has compiled a resume that is diverse, international and impressive. A WSU economics grad who grew up in Pullman and Spokane, he holds a Masters...

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Readers will know I'm not a hater of President Obama by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, there are some things I agree with him about, or at least get close. Unlike Matt Damon, for instance, I think Obama's doing a better job than I expected on education (and that's with it being noted that the guy has never really been regarded as the teachers' union's BFF). I have also found myself nodding along as he has recently talked about the importance of passing free trade agreements with...

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I've got a new op-ed up at the Daily Caller relevant to the 2012 presidential race.  The title sums it up well, but there's plenty of detail worth checking out, if I may humbly say so.

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Long-term readers of my writing know that I am a staunchly pro-immigration Republican, to the point of favoring policies that many in the party would describe as amnesty vis a vis illegal immigrants. That is especially so where we're talking about illegal immigrants who came to the US as children, as the result of a decision made by their parents rather than themselves. Many (if not all) of these kids will grow up identifying as American; they will all have experienced what is exceptional and...

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