I was nine when I asked Santa for a chess set for Christmas. Santa delivered.
The first thing I did was put a knight in the toaster to see what would happen. Fortunately, I soon learned how to make better use of the knight and became an internationally rated chess master and twice won the Washington State Chess Championship.
Outside of my family, chess is the most formative experience of my life. I just don’t think you can spend thousands of hours thinking about, dreaming about, and studying something, without it having a huge influence.
I’m sure my campaign team rolls their eyes at me sometimes, but I often use chess metaphors to describe my approach to leadership.
I talk about the importance of treating everybody with equal respect. In chess, people think the queen is the most important piece because it’s the most powerful. But chess masters know that the structure of your pawns, the “weakest” piece, is key to protecting your king and winning the game.
Chess taught me how to be objective. Chess forces you to focus on anticipating your opponent’s next move. If your opponent makes an unexpected move, that’s a problem. As a result, you constantly have to be objective about what you and your opponent are doing.
Chess taught me the importance of taking calculated risks. Sometimes we need to take a chance. I tell my staff in the attorney general’s office: “Yes, I hear what you’re saying that our odds of winning this case are not that good, but we can’t win if we don’t file.” This approach is how we beat Trump over 50 times in court and take on powerful corporate interests on behalf of Washingtonians.
Right now, I’m running in a competitive race to serve as your Governor. As I survey the board — voting starts in just two weeks — the next steps to victory are clear: we need powerful grassroots support in order to take on massive spending and dirty Trump-style attacks from the opposition.
Will you make your next move and donate to our campaign today?
I’m the only candidate who doesn’t accept a dollar from large corporations or corporate PACs. I’m counting on you.
Thank you,
Bob
