McGavick wins Times endorsement

Both of Seattle's major newspapers issued US Senate endorsements today, with the Post-Intelligencer not surprisingly endorsing Sen. Maria Cantwell for reelection. The bigger story, however, is that the larger and more influential Times chose her opponent, Mike McGavick. Their reasoning:

Some see this election as a referendum on George W. Bush. If we did, we would be for a solid Democratic ticket. But like most Washington voters, we take our candidates one at a time. Mike McGavick is an unusual businessman-politician. He managed the multibillion-dollar turnaround of Safeco Corporation, sacrificing some jobs but saving many others. He showed a sense of social purpose in his stress on racial inclusion at Safeco. He knows politics, having worked for Sen. Slade Gorton. He has run a clean campaign.

In other news, the P-I formally endorsed Darcy Burner in the 8th district, also in contrast to the moderate Times.