Cantwell files for reelection, McGavick's corporate backers exposed

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell today filed her official declaration of candidacy with the Secretary of State's office. Filing week began yesterday and runs through this Friday, the official kickoff to the election season.

Said Senator Cantwell: "It has been an honor to represent our state and our Northwest values in the Senate for the past 5 and a half years. I respectfully ask the people of Washington to consider my candidacy for another Senate term. I look forward to putting the people of Washington state first for the rest of this year and for another six years."

Meanwhile, the Washington State Democrats today released a detailed overview of Mike McGavick's numerous corporate backers, demonstrating that the McGavick campaign is heavily bankrolled by right wing special interests. For example:

• Insurance Industry: In addition to McGavick’s illegal $28 million golden parachute from his time as an insurance CEO, members of the insurance industry have shelled out more than $275,000—almost $65,000 in new FEC disclosures alone—directly to bankroll McGavick’s campaign. McGavick previously served as a lobbyist for the American Insurance Association, and his contributions from the insurance industry top all other special interest funders of his campaign.
• Big Oil: McGavick, a big supporter of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, raked in another $8500 from the PACs of big oil – including another $4000 from ExxonMobil’s PAC ($5000 total to date), $2000 from BP’s PAC and $2500 from Conoco Phillips’s PAC.
• Halliburton: McGavick accepted $1000 from Halliburton’s PAC, even as the company remains mired in scandal relating to abuse surrounding no-bid contracts Iraq and ties to veep Dick Cheney’s secret energy task force.
• Social Security Privatizers: McGavick raked in another $4000 from the Financial Services Roundtable PAC, for a total of $5000 to date. The Roundtable is a group of approximately 100 CEOs of the largest financial services companies in the nation, who are at the forefront of the push for Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security. The Roundtable has already hosted two separate fundraisers for McGavick.
• Rx Money: Even as McGavick fails to support drug re-importation from Canada , he accepted $2000 from Pfizer’s PAC, and another $10,000 from the PAC of Express-Scripts, one of the largest prescription benefit managers (PBM) in the country. [FreedomWorks press release, 12/15/04 (via PR Newswire)]
• Ted Stevens: McGavick took a $2000 personal check from his good friend Ted Stevens – who appears to be making good on his pledge to seek revenge against Maria Cantwell for standing up and successfully blocking oil drilling in Alaska. FEC records show that Senator Stevens doesn’t donate much personally to other candidates, and has never written a check of this size to someone challenging a colleague. [FEC.gov]

Simply put, Mike McGavick is a corporate con running for Congress. He's not independent. He's not moderate. He can spend as much money as he can raise slicking up his image, but it won't change the fact that M!ke marches in lockstep with George W. Bush.

The U.S. Senate doesn't need more rubber stamps for the administration. Republican one party rule has been a disaster for the United States of America.

The last thing Washingtonians are going to want to do is send someone to represent them who will reliably vote to create new problems and worsen existing ones. M!ke McGavick thinks he has a great chance of winning this year, but he underestimates Maria Cantwell at his peril. Cantwell will beat him, just as Patty Murray trounced George Nethercutt two years ago.