Alexandria, Va. (April 1, 2011) – With a Democratically led Washington State Legislature yet to roll out a budget, Democratic Senators “resisting” efforts to scale back $2 million the state spends on artwork, and a fiscal situation worsening by the week, the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) launched a web video today, taking the party to task for relentlessly attacking Attorney General Rob McKenna rather than focusing on solutions.

“Washington Democrats are clearly in a position where they can’t get their act together, they’re afraid to make difficult decisions, and are already running against a non-existent 2012 campaign,” said RSLC Chairman Ed Gillespie.  “In the last election, voters overwhelmingly showed they are tired of leaders who simply want to keep things as they are and protect the status quo, and Washington Democrats are risking a great deal by attacking Rob McKenna rather than problem solving.”

The video, “Out of Gas,” notes that despite the fact that McKenna is not even a candidate, “Washington State Democrats are racing to 2012” and “revving up attacks against Republicans instead of seeking real solutions to the state’s problems.”

The ad cites recent comments from Seattle P-I columnist Joel Connelly – not exactly a Republican cheerleader – that said, “State Democrats — have fired off boilerplate attacks a full 20 months before the 2012 election. It’s the usual clumsy, guilt-by-association stuff.”  The column went on to say “When a party has held power for a long time, and is running low on gas, there’s an old, oft-deployed survival strategy: Gin up fears and try to drag down the promising alternative. … The current Democratic administration in Olympia IS out of gas.”

“After watching Washington Democrats attack Republicans and mislead the voters about their positions, it comes as no surprise that Republicans picked up legislative seats in the last election, and that those on the left are criticizing the party’s tactics,” said Gillespie.  “The Democrats’ tank is empty.”

About the RSLC
The RSLC is the largest caucus of Republican state leaders and the only national organization whose mission is to elect down ballot, state-level Republican office-holders. Since 2002, the RSLC has been working to elect candidates for the office of Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State and State Legislator. The RSLC has more than 100,000 donors in all 50 states. The RSLC raised more than $30 million for the 2009-2010 cycle as part of an effort that picked up 20 legislative chambers, six Attorneys General, three Lieutenant Governors and seven Secretaries of State.

The RSLC includes The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) whose mission is electing Republicans to the Office of Attorney General.  Since its founding in 2000, the impact of the RAGA has been significant as the number of Republican Attorneys General has increased in five of the past ten elections, growing from fourteen to twenty three nationwide.  In 2010, Republicans won 16 out of 30 Attorneys General races, including pick-ups in Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, Ohio, and Oklahoma.  All previously held Republican seats were successfully defended and maintained.