Scott Stanzel, a former Bush-administration aide, offers a “maybe” answer to rumors that he may take on Sen. Maria Cantwell in Washington in 2012:
My immediate focus is on marrying the woman of my dreams on September 10.
I have spoken with leaders in this state and my former White House colleagues about the idea of running for the United States Senate. I’m flattered that individuals I worked with to defeat the disastrous state income tax proposal last year believe that I could provide a positive voice for Washington in the U.S. Senate.
Washington, DC, is broken. Voters of this state are hungry for principled leadership which addresses the serious fiscal crisis that politicians like Sen. Cantwell have caused. Sen. Cantwell and her allies in our nation’s capital are busy burying our children and grandchildren in a blizzard of debt. This has got to stop. Rather than tackle the big issues of getting Americans back to work and putting our economic house in order, it seems the only jobs program in Congress is the one where they try to preserve their own. We deserve better.
In the coming weeks, I’m going to continue to plan my wedding with my lovely fiancé, Priscilla Jones. After September, I’ll work to grow my business and will consider this opportunity to be a constructive voice for Washington.
A bit of Stanzel’s biography:
In September 1999, Stanzel left the Grassley office to work for the Bush for President campaign. After serving in communications roles in several primary states, at the campaign headquarters in Austin, Texas, and on the Florida Recount Team in Tallahassee during the historic post-election recount, Stanzel was selected to be a spokesman for the Bush-Cheney Transition Team, which guided President-elect Bush’s Cabinet nominees during the Senate confirmation process. When President Bush was inaugurated in January 2001, Stanzel was asked to become a White House spokesman. He served in the White House Office of Media Affairs, where he was the primary spokesman for President Bush for reporters serving news outlets in 14 Midwestern and Industrial Belt states.
In August of 2003, Stanzel accepted a position with President Bush’s reelection campaign. In his role as Press Secretary at Bush-Cheney ’04, Stanzel traveled with President Bush to campaign events throughout the country serving as national campaign spokesman to television, radio, newspaper and wire reporters covering the campaign. After President Bush’s election victory, Stanzel became a Senior Communications Advisor to the 55th Presidential Inaugural Committee.
Following President Bush’s second inauguration in 2005, Stanzel moved to the private sector to work for Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Washington, as a Senior Public Relations Manager.
After about two years at Microsoft, Stanzel returned to the White House to be deputy press secretary. Connections to a network of Bush donors and experience at Microsoft have to be pretty helpful in Washington state politics . . .
This potential match-up amusing potential. Having someone who worked in the Bush Administration and Microsoft beat an incumbent who use to serve as a vice president of Real Networks (And whose fortune went down the drain after she was first elected, courtesy of the tech bubble bursting.) could write its own script.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt would be great to see Stanzel jump in, but I wonder what experience he is bringing to the table that would make him a good Senator. Although I think Cantwell is a disaster, at least she served in the State House and the US House before being elected a Senator. Scott worked as a mouthpiece for Bush and did a stint at Microsoft. We need more people with REAL WORLD experience during these troubled times.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHaving worked in Washington state politics for the better part of the last two decades, I can honestly say I've never heard of Scott Stanzel.
And after reading his biography, I still can't say I've heard of him.
Now, I'm not some kingmaker - and it's quite possible he runs in other circles than I - but if this guy is serious about taking on Cantwell NEXT year, he should've been hitting the Lincoln Day dinners LAST year.
Our bench is admittedly weak in Washington state, but an out-of-state guy - who's never held elective office - and his only real claim to fame is working for Bush? Um, well.....
Let's just say he certainly needs to get out more.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHopefully the tea party will make a run at Cantwell with a credible candidate. A Party guy whose profession is spin? Really?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI hate to say it, but being tied to Bush is still the kiss of death out here in the Pacific Northwest.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNot likely. Cantwell is already the Senator From Microsoft, and she's doing a good job of representing M$ interests. (About 1/3 of the total economic interests of the state.)
A competitor who comes from an entirely different angle might be a better choice but still wouldn't win.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSince the Republican bench in Washington is so thin, why not go outside the normal political power circles. There are a number of prominent retired or nearly retired athletes in the Seattle area that would bring immediate name recognition and fundraising ability to a political campaign. Matt Hasselbeck(nearly retired), Jay Buhner, and Bryce Fisher immediately spring to mind. All three are engaging, bright, articulate and could leverage their name recognition into an opportunity to at least get their message heard above the usual liberal biased media coverage. Also all three as modern athletes are more accustomed to dealing with the media circus then novice aspiring politicians from other non-career political circles. Besides it would be entertaining as hell to listen to someone talk in a blunt candid manner. I bet any of these gentlemen could at least give Cantwell fits by not allowing her to dance around the issues. Such an outside candidate could at least get an honest hearing from independent voters and blue collar moderates in the Seattle Tacoma corridor. If you want to beat Cantwell you have to find a way to cut into the Dem advantage in King Peirce and Snohomish Counties. Repubs carry the rest of the state overwhelmingly.
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