Vote for
MARIA CANTWELL
(Democrat)

Slade Gorton has been in politics since the late 18th century and has the voting record to prove it. Slade voted against a bill to outlaw anti-gay discrimination in the workplace (despite the widespread rumor that Slade has a gay family member); he voted to end Head Start; he voted to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling; he voted against increasing the minimum wage; he voted to ban late-term abortions; and most recently, he voted against a patient bill of rights. Slade's opposed to campaign finance reform of any kind, and he never misses an opportunity to stoke hostility against Washington state's Native American tribes.

Maria Cantwell is the anti-Slade. A former one-term U.S. congresswoman and RealNetworks vice president, Cantwell is offering Washington state voters our first actual chance to turn Slade out of office. Cantwell's positions on gun control (pro), campaign-finance reform (pro), and growth (regulated) are more progressive than anything Slade has to offer. Her big-business stand on trade may not make her a left-winger's wet dream, but Cantwell's got her head screwed on right when it comes to social issues. Slade-hating lefties should stampede the polls.