Lowry was a former Democratic congressman and a progressive icon. Raised on an eastern Washington farm and instilled with New Deal values, he promoted health care and gay rights, was a leader on the environment, and wasn’t afraid to raise the issue of tax increases. Progressives loved him, and conservatives had grudging respect for his adherence to liberal principles. But they mocked him for his looks: In a run for U.S. Senate, they noted how much Lowry resembled Yasser Arafat. Lowry lost that race.
His election to the governor’s office in 1992 felt like a kind of vindication for the left wing of the Democratic Party, an antidote to both
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