If you haven't seen it yet, this editorial from Sunday's Seattle Times is worth a read. In short, it compares the Senate race to a boxing match and gives the early rounds to Mike McGavick over Maria Cantwell. I agree, though I would encourage pro-McGavick readers not to get too excited about the editorial, but be very pleased about a broader trend it represents.

Before becoming a Sound Politics contributor, I argued in comment threads at this site - not without controversy - a personal observation that the current GOP starts with a handicap in statewide races. That handicap is derived from the disastrous, successive candidacies of Ellen Craswell, Linda Smith, and John Carlson in 1996, 1998, and 2000 respectively. I'm not arguing any of the three are bad people; they're not. But for a number of reasons, their campaigns did create a stereotype among independent voters in Western Washington, especially in the growing suburbs ringing Seattle, that GOP candidates are more often than not too extreme. Consequently, major GOP candidates new to the scene, such as Dino Rossi, Rob McKenna, and Mike McGavick, are required to establish an extra degree of credibility by proving they are competent, and not abrasive. Moreover, they must prove to the independent voters needed for victory that they don't meet the arch-conservative stereotype that otherwise leads independent voters to default to the Democratic candidate.

Dino Rossi is the best example of overcoming that challenge, notably by creating generally solid coverage in the mainstream press that acknowledged his appeal, his skill, and his issues - fundamentally acknowledging he was a credible candidate. That coverage was highlighted by Rossi securing the endorsements of the Seattle Times, Everett Herald, and the Tacoma News Tribune; an unheard of trifecta for a Republican. The essential message to independent, suburban voters was this: check this fellow out; he's the real deal.

Putting aside the highly disputed election outcome, Dino Rossi's accomplishment in winning over 1.373 million votes, or 48.87%, in the face of 82.2% statewide turnout was immensely impressive (keep in mind when former US Senator Slade Gorton came in at 48.64% in 2000 that equaled only 1.197 million votes). Rossi was able to accomplish that largely because of his credibility with independent voters, which was assisted in no small part by validation from the mainstream press. Some conservatives might quibble with the importance of the mainstream press, but I would remind them that independent voters are more likely than staunch partisans on either side to get their political news from mainstream sources.

Thus, Sunday's editorial complimenting McGavick's efforts is a well-deserved validation that he and his campaign have done an excellent job of preparing the battlefield for the real fight ahead. But more importantly, that editorial, like this one also from the Times last July, and this clip from KING 5, are validating McGavick's candidacy to a political demographic he needs to win. Long after the memory of this Times editorial fades, that trend may be worth noting.