Gorton's ads show softer side

As the two major Democratic U.S. Senate candidates get ready to battle each other in a primary election, incumbent Republican Sen. Slade Gorton is polishing up his image as Mr. Nice Guy on radio ads broadcast statewide.

The ads feature testimonials from Democrats such as Bellingham mayor Mark Asmundson, who calls Gorton "an effective straight shooter" and praises him for helping pass legislation to make fuel pipelines safer.

"I'm going to have lots of people mad at me because I'm not following the party line, and so be it," Asmundson says in the radio ad.

"God knows I don't agree with every position of the senator. However, what I do know is he cares passionately for the people of Washington."

Some Republicans - and even a few Democrats in private - are calling the ads the most effective they've heard this campaign season.

The ads are down-home, frank testimonials from regular people who, in some cases, talk about local problems Gorton has tackled.

Gorton's campaign has tailored the ads to individual markets statewide with 31 testimonials, from farmers and loggers broadcast in rural Washington to environmentalists and liberals airing in the Seattle region.

The ads, which will cost the campaign hundreds of thousands of dollars, are being broadcast until the November general election.

Democratic candidate Maria Cantwell has been airing television ads for two months. Deborah Senn, also campaigning for the Democratic nomination, is expected to begin airing TV ads as early as next week.

Gorton attempts to show that some Democrats like him, even as Democratic party leaders claim they are united against him. Other ads showcase both Democrats and Republicans giving a softer side of Gorton, detailing how he has personally made a difference in the lives of constituents.

Asmundson, for example, tells radio listeners that Gorton stepped in to get tougher safety regulations on fuel pipelines after last year's explosion in Bellingham, in which three people died.

The Bellingham mayor said in an interview that he volunteered to take part in the ads because Gorton has worked not only on pipeline issues but has helped area residents secure salmon-habitat recovery dollars and sort through unequal-taxation issues for merchants.

Asmundson said he opposes the senator's stances against tribal sovereignty and on other issues, but that helping Gorton is worth it.

He said he will vote for the Republican.

"I've taken a little heat," Asmundson said. "I've gotten some comments from some people saying how could I possibly do this. I got one e-mail from a guy calling me a Republican, which is far from the truth."

Another radio ad features Seattle resident Diane Ahern and her son in the military, Robert Ahern, who say Gorton personally intervened with federal officials to bring Robert's new wife to the United States from Belgrade. Gorton spokeswoman Cynthia Bergman said the ads, which are similar to those that ran in 1994, "really show a whole other side of Senator Gorton that most people don't know."

The ads are produced by Media Plus, based in Washington, D.C. The company also did Gorton's ads in 1994.

Consultants say Gorton is trying to appeal to independent voters and moderates who haven't made up their mind in the Senate race.

"These ads are tremendously effective, among the best political radio I've heard," said Republican consultant Brett Bader, who is not working for Gorton.

"They show Slade is working effectively for people and not pursuing some kind of partisan agenda."

But opponents say the ads gloss over Gorton's record.

"Most politicians can find a handful of people to say nice things for him," said Teresa Purcell, Northwest regional director of the League of Conservation Voters. "It's the voting record that counts."

She said Gorton consistently votes against measures her group deems important for protecting the environment.

Joy Huber, director of PlanetCPR, a grass-roots nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the environment, didn't arrive easily at her decision to go public with her support for Gorton.

A Democrat, she is featured in an ad praising him as an environmentalist for helping her group buy filters to stop parking-lot oil and debris from polluting salmon runs.

She said she felt guilty about "undercutting the efforts of my party."

But she decided that Gorton has clout to get the money for groups such as hers that will have a direct, local impact on the environment.

She, too, will support him in this year's election.

"I had to weigh it all up and choose and decide and act," Huber said. "I thought I should give credit where credit is due."

Huber realizes some might think Gorton is using her because she fits a niche - a Democrat and an environmentalist - that usually screams loudest against him.

"Everybody is being used for something, and what I'm being used for is empowering people at grass-roots level to take action," she said.

As Gorton is taking to the airwaves in hopes of softening his image, his campaign staff says they don't expect a strong showing for the three-term senator in the Sept. 19 primary.

"This will be one tough race, but isn't every race tough for Gorton?" spokeswoman Bergman asked in an e-mail sent to reporters.

Bergman said many supporters will wait until November to vote since Gorton doesn't face serious Republican competition in the primary. She predicts many Republicans will "cross over and vote for the Democrat they think is easiest to beat."

"Many Republicans want to `help' Gorton by voting for the weaker Senate candidate," her e-mail said.

But, Bergman added, "Surrounded by family, friends, and clearly comfortable in his own skin, the candidate himself has never looked or felt better."

Dionne Searcey's phone message number is 206-464-2145. Her e-mail address is dsearcey@seattletimes.com.