Washington is going to have another exciting gubernatorial race this year. We have not elected a Republican governor since 1980, and it is time we had a change in leadership.

On Sunday, I had the honor of attending the Lincoln Day Dinner, a fun, educational gathering of Republicans from the Palouse region. The main focus was on (re-)electing Dino Rossi and re-electing Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, our 5th District congresswoman.

Rossi presented some staggering statistics at the dinner. The biggest one referred to the number of voters in Eastern Washington who did not vote in 2004. About 22,000 people did not vote, but statistics show those votes could have clinched the election for Rossi. I was not old enough to vote then, but I definitely will this time around.

To give some background on the controversy, Rossi won the election and two recounts, but the third recount named Gregoire the victor – and we’ve been under that poor leadership for four years now. His approach to state government is to treat citizens like consumers rather than nuisances, he said Sunday. He wants to treat them with more respect and actually get things done.

One of his best lines was when he said he would make Washington the most desirable state to open a business and the worst state to commit a crime. I liked his ideas because they show he will take our economy in a new direction by cutting taxes, and he will be much tougher on crime in this great state. According to Rossi's campaign literature, Gregoire granted more than 1,000 felons early release, and her administration is unsure of the whereabouts of more than 1,000 sexual predators.

That does not make me comfortable in the slightest.

Another advantage Rossi has this year is name recognition. Anyone who watched the news in November 2004 knows the name Dino Rossi, and everyone who keeps track of politics in the state is quite familiar with his campaign.

Also, his campaign adviser in 2004 was a college student, proving he knows how to connect with students. I suspect this will increase his voter turnout at great benefit.

Meanwhile, McMorris Rodgers represents 12 counties in Eastern Washington. One of her greatest accomplishments in Congress was fighting to keep the Federal Perkins Loan Program in the 2006-07 budget. She also voted in favor of a bill that would reduce the interest on subsidized Stafford loans over a five-year period. Since the majority of college students borrow Perkins and Stafford loans, her efforts are a service to as large number of Washington students. I am thankful McMorris Rodgers represents me in the U.S. Congress.

It was great having Rossi and McMorris Rodgers visit Pullman, and I am grateful I had the chance to talk with them. They are practical, logical people, whose only vision for the state is improvement.

Your vote in November will affect what happens here, and the direction Washington will take for our generation and generations to come.

It is imperative we re-elect McMorris to her seat in the House of Representatives. Hopefully, the 2004 outrage that reverberated throughout Washington will bring voters for Rossi this time around.