In local Democratic circles, Jenny Durkan is perhaps best known as
one of the lawyers who spent the spring and early summer of 2005 in a
large Wenatchee courtroom, arguing for Governor Christine Gregoire in
her extremely close race against Republican Dino Rossi. Durkan was on
the winning side in that fight, and these days she’s busy making
another political argument that she’s convinced she can win: the case
for John Edwards.
Durkan is chair of the Edwards campaign in Washington State, a post
she also held in 2003, back when Edwards made an unsuccessful run at
the presidency that turned into an unsuccessful run at the vice
presidency. With Edwards coming to Seattle on September 19 for a
fundraiser, I called Durkan and asked her to give me her best argument
for backing a man who, according to polls, still has many Democratic
skeptics.
“To me, the number one priority for Democrats has to be winning the
White House,” Durkan told me. “And I don’t see any way that Obama or
Hillary can win.” So all you people driving around Seattle with Barack
Obama bumper stickers above your faded Howard Dean
stickers—prepare to feel foolish come next year, Durkan says.
There are certainly plenty of questions about whether Edwards can
win, however. He has polled well in the highly influential state of
Iowa, but he’s doing less well in other early primary states and is
behind Obama and Hillary Clinton in the national fundraising race (as
well as in national polls). And while Edwards does lead Clinton in
fundraising here in Washington, an informal tracking poll conducted on
The Stranger‘s blog in early August and early September found
Edwards placing behind Obama and Clinton—an unscientific survey,
no doubt, but an indication that Edwards has not even sewn up the local
liberal blog-reader vote.
Durkan believes Edwards is still on the rise and, repeating a
familiar critique, she said Clinton will not be able to change the
minds of enough Americans who already have an unfavorable opinion of
her. “It is very, very difficult to persuade a group of people who have
already made up their mind about you that they’re wrong,” Durkan told
me.
What about Obama? “If America elected Obama president I would cry
tears of joy,” Durkan said. “I just have to be more pragmatic about it,
and I don’t think it’s going to happen.” The reason: “I think he’s just
too green.” The eventual Democratic nominee is going to face a huge
assault from the Republican machine, Durkan said, adding: “I don’t
think Obama has the track record to withstand that type of
barrage.”
I asked Durkan to chart out the scenario in which Edwards, now
behind Clinton and Obama, emerges to win the Democratic nomination and
then the presidency.
“He is the person to beat in Iowa,” Durkan said. “I think he does
very well in Iowa. I think he does very well in Nevada.” From those
strong early showings, Edwards will get a surge of momentum, she
predicted. That will propel him into either first or second place in
the minds of Democratic primary voters (with Clinton most likely the
other person in the top two). At that point, a race will be on for the
supporters of Obama, and Durkan believes Obama people will be more
likely to pick Edwards, giving him the critical mass of support needed
to win the nomination.
In the general election, Durkan said, Edwards’s Southern roots will
help him take parts of the South (an impossibility, she believes, for
either Clinton or Obama). Case closed.
As for Edwards’s likability challenge—the fact that some
people find the former trial lawyer smarmy—Durkan said she used
to be one of the doubters. Back in 2003, a friend told her she should
meet Edwards while he was in Seattle drumming up support, and her first
reaction was: “Not interested.” She explained: “There’s a fair amount
of trial lawyers who think they can be God, let alone president, and I
wasn’t interested in meeting another one.”
But eventually the two had coffee and, Durkan said, “He won me
over.” She found Edwards to be completely sincere and she now deeply
supports his populism and his push for getting out of Iraq.
“I think the number one difference between people who like Edwards a
lot and people who are skeptical is those who have seen him in person
and those who haven’t,” she said.
Democrats looking for a Durkan-like conversion can see Edwards in
person on September 19 at the Westin—for a $100 donation.
* * *
In other candidate visits: Republican Ron Paul will be in Seattle on
September 14, giving a free lecture on the Constitution at the Seattle
University School of Law and holding several other events. More details
about both the Paul and Edwards visits can be found on the candidates’
websites. 
