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By Matt Rosenberg Posted in 2006 | Featured Stories — Comments (3) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

GOP Senate hopeful Mike McGavick is weathering somewhat of a media smackdown over revelations last weekend that his pre-emptive confession of a 1993 DUI case in Montgomery County, Maryland left out important details. You'll get a sense of the coverage from this Seattle P-I editorial, and this Seattle P-I column by Joel Connelly - which also delves into now-returned McGavick campaign contributions from an Alaska oil services firm under federal investigation. WaPo poliblogger Chris Cillizza, who like others orginally praised McGavick's DUI mea culpa, now sees the candidate in the deep weeds. Tom Bevan at Real Clear Politics asks "Did McGavick Blow It?;" and says the next batch of polls will tell much (RCP has the latest average spread at +9 Cantwell). What happened? Originally, McGavick said he'd cut a yellow light too close and was cited for DUI. In contrast, the police report, dug up by various Seattle media outlets last week, stated he blew through a steady red, was arrested, failed three field sobriety tests, and fell asleep while in custody. Not a really pretty picture, though clearly he's no Kennedy. What was praised as a savvy step now increasingly looks like a misstep; the campaign should have approved no public statement on the incident until it first secured the police report. As Seattle Times political writer/blogger David Postman notes, McGavick yesterday sent an e-mail to supporters explaining the omissions.

McGavick's opponent, the incumbent Democrat Maria Cantwell, richly deserves replacement. Facing heat from the Left on her vote for the Iraq War, she bought off one Green critic with a cushy campaign job, and hired another allied with traitorous American friends of Iraqi jihadists. Cantwell has also notably demagogued high gas prices.

McGavick recently secured an endorsement from The Club For Growth. As CEO he brought Safeco Insurance back from the brink of financial ruin. He would work energetically to rein in excessive federal spending, prioritize domestic oil production AND renewable fuels, and would spare no effort in trying to ensure a strong national defense in the war against Islamic terrorism. Mike erred in his handling of the recent DUI admission, giving doubters and critics an opportunity to paint him as less than honest, and giving some supporters pause regarding his political instincts. But this dent has to be weighed against the man's entire career, and his firm commitment to make sure America is safe from its enemies; a commitment Maria Cantwell in no way whatsoever shares. Now is the time for McGavick's wide circle of supporters to step up their support, so he can get his messages out more often in the lead-up to the general election.