The Vertical Election

Dear Friends,

I have talked with thousands of voters in the 5th District over the past few months. To them this year's election is not of left or right, but rather up or down. It is the Vertical Election; a choice between leaders who believe our private sector is a stakeholder in our path back to prosperity, or those who still favor the status quo of government central planning. This year, there is urgency to address the quality of public education, stability of the state budget and the crisis of unemployment.

My candidacy is challenging the basic premise of the decade-old majority party leadership in Olympia. I am proposing a solution that will give our citizens a sense of certainty in our future again. Its time to utilize the private sector as the engine toward future economic prosperity. But that is not all. We need to advance creative ideas that will make our region more competitive in a global economy, like improving freight mobility and unifying our ports.

The Democratic majority has shunned these creative ideas in favor of higher taxes and union favors. My opponent believes that the economy can only grow with government managing a free market economy to fund an unlimited democratic welfare system. The platform to which Mark Mullet committed promises only more decay of our workforce with unemployment that is among the worst in the nation (17.3%) and a public education system that ranks in the bottom third of all states. It is stripping our citizens of their dignity and our children of their future.

I am committed to two principles. The first is that the people of the 5th District will come before my political party. I proved my commitment when I incurred the wrath of the Republican incumbent and had the nerve to challenge her in the primary. The basis for my challenge was a desire to see our representatives leading the discussion on future prosperity. But the truth was that our sitting representative was among the worst in attendance in the Senate and had lost interest in the voters of our district.

The second principal is that I will not defame my opponent's character. My clean campaign commitment is in place to earn your trust and contrast myself with my opponent. You can see the promises I make, and whether I will keep them. You can also see how I treat people I disagree with. Mark Mullet makes no such promise, but provides a rendering of his vision for government: Free ice cream, served up on a waffle cone.

In the Vertical Election, my opponent wants to take us down with the politics of "anything goes" personal destruction and embrace of the ruling class status quo. Mark Mullet has chosen to appeal to the voter's cynicism. He thinks it will exact a high cost on me; but it comes at a high cost to you as a lost opportunity for discussion on the issues.

As your candidate for public office, I will not be pulled in by this attempt to distract, but will continue to stay focused on the philosphy and ideas to safeguard our state's future.

Thanks for reading,

Brad Toft