Former state Republican Party chair Susan Hutchison to challenge Sen. Cantwell

SEATTLE — Former state Republican Party chair Susan Hutchison, a loyal supporter of President Donald Trump, said Friday she will challenge incumbent U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell.

Hutchison, who filed just before the candidate-filing deadline, is the best-known of more than two-dozen challengers seeking to unseat the three-term Democrat.

"I have just been watching the situation and I think that a sitting senator who is known for doing nothing for us does not deserve a fourth term," Hutchison said in an interview with the Seattle Times. "She is a fake senator. She is a ghost in the state and in the Senate."

Hutchison also called Cantwell "a leader of the left-wing elite that are destroying our state."

A Cantwell spokesperson did not immediately respond for a request for comment.

State Democratic Party spokeswoman Ansley Lacitis dismissed Hutchison's prospects.

"We're confident with our chances with Sen. Maria Cantwell, a woman who has been fighting for Washington state her whole career," she said.

Before Hutchison's filing, Cantwell had faced only little-known rivals, including perennial candidates, a Seattle police captain and a right-wing rally organizer.

Hutchison is a former television news anchor who became state Republican Party chair in 2013. She stepped down earlier this year amid speculation she might be appointed to a position in President Donald Trump's administration.

Hutchison as GOP chair strongly defended the president, even from attacks by other Republicans.

She also was criticized after revelations during the 2016 presidential race about Trump's lewd comments in a leaked 2005 Access Hollywood tape, in which he boasted about groping women. While Hutchison called the comments "repulsive," she also seemed to try to excuse them by saying Trump had been "a Democrat at the time."

In 2009, Hutchison lost a race for King County executive to Dow Constantine.

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Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com

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Associated Press