Connelly: "Murray: the last waltz, in jeans and tennis shoes"

Joel Connelly (seattlepi.com):

EVERETT - Sen. Patty Murray put on "my work gear" for what may be her final day on the campaign trail, visiting volunteers in a non-senatorial outfit of blue jeans, tennis shoes and a pullover sweatshirt.

She joked when asked if this IS her last campaign, likening the experience to having kids: Each time you swear never again.

"I will say this," Murray added, turning serious. "The among of money coming in -- unregulated, you don't know where it's coming from - has to be changed . . . Not just for our state, but for democracy."

She noted that by writing a six- or seven-figure check - and hiding it behind a non-profit front group - a hedge fund manager in New York can "cancel out the efforts of volunteers and small donors a continent away.

One such group, Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS, has spent $3.5 million on anti-Murray mailings and TV spots.

Out of its office on New York Avenue in Washington, D.C., it has bombarded voters with the charge that Murray is out of touch with this Washington. MORE...