Hhhmmm... Word's getting out: even though Herrera is the establishment candidate, Castillo gets conservative support (Roll Call)

So, the tiny cracks in the Herrera campaign are getting big enough for Roll Call to notice... and they're not so tiny lately.

3rd district
Open seat: Brian Baird (D) is retiring
Outlook: Tossup

Both parties have primaries in this open-seat race, although there’s no doubt that Baird’s retirement makes this seat a competitive pickup opportunity for Republicans.

After Baird’s announcement, national Republicans appeared to be most excited about state Rep. Jaime Herrera, although now it appears there will be a competitive race for the GOP nomination. Former Bush administration official David Castillo got into the race before Baird said he was leaving, and he appears to have a great deal of support from conservative activists in the area. Accountant David Hedrick is also running, but he is not expected to win the primary.

For Democrats, former state Rep. Denny Heck appears to be the favorite over state Sen. Craig Pridemore. Not only does Heck have personal funds to put into the race, but he’s also got the backing of much of the local party establishment — including Gov. Christine Gregoire (D).

It’s also important to note that Washington state has a unique primary where the top two candidates regardless of party go on to the general election. It’s unlikely that this will influence the final result in a competitive district like this one, but it could influence other races across the state.

The problem is the scrutiny and Herrera's inability to withstand it.

Like the guy she's modeling her campaign after, Obama, glittering generalities aren't going to cut it.

Get her away from her pre-programmed responses and she's politically DOA. And far too many people have been fooled by a package once before that's damaged us beyond comprehension to go that way again.

But then, that's why Castillo gets the support from the Conservative activists around here... and not Ridgefield Barbie.