When you're involved in political campaigns, doughnuts and cupcakes are often close at hand. President Obama made sure both were available during his Seattle stopover to support Senator Patty Murray's campaign. On his way to a Seattle couple's home for a backyard 'event' the President made a surprise stop at Top Pot Doughnut's 5th Avenue store, and brought two boxes to his hosts, Cynnie and Erik Foss. When you're a guest you bring a little something. When you're the President of the United States, you make sure its a local favorite.
And the cupcakes? One of the morning guests was Jody Hall, owner of Cupcake Royale, a fast-growing Seattle start-up with 85 employees. It's hard to imagine Hall didn't bring some pumpkin maple cakes along with her. The sweet fare helped fuel a conversation about women entrepreneurs and the economy - and (of course) how the Democrats say they are helping create jobs.
While Obama and Murray later led a rally at the University of Washington in the noon hour, Murray's Republican challenger Dino Rossi was reveling in the latest poll on their race. The McClatchy-Marist Poll show the two in a virtual dead heat, a survey of more than 800 likely voters with an error rate of +/- 3.5%. Conducted October 14th through 17th, the new snapshot of the race contrasts the findings of the KPLU - KCTS 9 - Washington Poll (conducted earlier in the month) that showed Murray with a 6% lead.
Rossi says Obama's visit (and recent visits by VP Joe Biden and the former Prez Bill Clinton) show Murray's campaign is in trouble. Murray, meanwhile, says she's proud to have the President visit the state twice in the past two months, and looks forward to taking the stage next Monday with Michelle Obama and Jill Biden.
