An estimated 250 people- on a weekday- turned up at Gregoire’s Spokane speech at the Washington State University south facility, 30 minutes ago.

“What’s all this out of control spending Dino Rossi is talking about?” Senator Chris Marr said in part of his introduction. “I could have asked him myself if he would have bothered to show up in Olympia. We have an $850 million surplus.”

After seeing five of the governor’s speeches, this was her most charged. Echoing Barack Obama, who she endorsed in Seattle, she promised every Washingtonian will have health care. She challenged the audience with, “Do you want a governor who brings fear to Washington?” Gregoire opened with that.

Al Garr and Randall Jullin, Vice President and General Manager of Absolute Aviation Services, pulled me aside after the speech. Gregoire had mentioned how the best airplanes in the U.S. are built in Spokane, and these men said she knew what she was talking about.

“She’s visited our company to understand aerospace other than Boeing,” Jullin said.

In December 2007, she appointed Bruce Beckett to advise her on state-wide business and aerospace. Small business such as Absolute Aviation are generally in her radar.

“At first, we thought we’d move our company to Idaho but because of the enthusiasm of Spokane and the work of Gregoire, we feel welcome here,” Garr said.

The next stop on our tour is Bremerton, a painfully long drive from Spokane. Below is a picture of our bus driver Gene; the only Republican on the bus.