To the editor:

We are fortunate to have our much-respected Bainbridge Island neighbor, Jay Inslee, running for governor of our state.

He deserves our votes. But millions of dollars of out-of-state super PAC money is financing misleading attack ads to try to erode Jay’s 4 percent lead in the August Primary Election.

For 14 years, Jay has worked tirelessly as our U.S. Congressman. He courageously opposed the war in Iraq, and he earned national recognition for his strong leadership in supporting clean energy, protecting our environment, and growing jobs based on innovation and clean technology.

You need only meet Jay to appreciate his integrity and love for his family and community. More than 3,000 of us cheered for Jay last month when Bill Clinton, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell came to town to support Jay’s campaign.

But that same week, the right-wing Republican Governors Association (RGA), chaired by Rick Perry of Texas until his embarrassing run for president, upped that super PAC’s funding of Jay’s opponent. By last week, that super PAC had committed over $11 million to bankroll biased attacks on Jay Inslee.

The RGA is heavily supported by corporations like Koch Industries, which owns vast coal mining interests and would presumably like a Washington governor to support allowing coal trains to cross our state and ship coal from a Washington port to China. Is that the kind of future we want for our coastline and the air we breathe?

Please tell all your friends that every vote will count for Jay Inslee. And warn your friends that many of the attack ads we’ll be seeing from now until election day are bankrolled by a super PAC funded by the likes of the Koch brothers who run Koch Industries and their special interest agenda.

CHANNIE AND BARRY PETERS

Bainbridge Island