BUCK: We do have Tiffany Smiley with us now. She’s running for Senate up in Washington State. Tiffany, thanks for joining us.
SMILEY: Yeah!
BUCK: We told everybody a little bit about these cease-and-desist orders. You’re clearly making the libs nervous, which nothing gets us more excited and happy than that in a political race. What are they? What’s with the cease-and-desist orders from your political ads?
SMILEY: Well, I think it’s clear that they’re effective (chuckles) and they’re resonating and they’re telling the truth and they’re moving voters. And look, we have a real shot at winning this race because we are connecting with the issues that matter to the voters. I mean, there not —
BUCK: Wait, can I just ask —
SMILEY: Yes?
BUCK: — is the Seattle Times really telling you —
SMILEY: Yes.
BUCK: — you can’t use a Seattle Times headline to describe something in Seattle in an ad?
SMILEY: (laughing) You are absolutely right, and what they forgot to do was check back to 2016 when Senator Murray did the same thing and they said nothing about it. So it’s really interesting how now they’re coming out strong. And I think, you know, it’s important to note, too, on the Seattle Seahawks that they actually gave my husband that jersey when he was the 12th Man flag raiser. The jersey that you barely see in the ad, like barely see for 1 to 2 seconds, is a 12th Man jersey that actually said SMILEY on the back of it when he raised the 12th Man flag in 2014.
CLAY: Yeah. Tiffany, I’m glad you brought that up because we obviously wrote about that at OutKick, and I appreciate you coming on the show and we’re rooting for you —
SMILEY: Thank you.
CLAY: — to take down Patty Murray and be the next representative in the Senate from Washington. But we also had and went and had our staff look up, there are a lot of ads out there with Democrats wearing Seattle Seahawks jerseys where you can actually see the logo where the full jersey is visible —
SMILEY: Yeah.
CLAY: — and it doesn’t appear — and we’ve asked the Seahawks to comment on this, it doesn’t appear — that they ever sent cease and desists to any of those Democrat candidates. So do you think this was a Patty Murray special? Do you think she went to Starbucks — her team, and also went to the Seahawks — and tried to get them to do this to you? Where do you think the impetus for this came from?
SMILEY: I would not be surprised if Patty Murray and her staff and her campaign rallied her people or pinged these corporations or had allies within those corporations to do this. That’s really sad. It clearly shows that she’s threatened and she’s worried and she knows that we are winning this race. But it’s unfortunate. I always say, “We’re not just taking down Patty Murray. We’re taking down this whole woke corporate agenda that’s destroyed Washington State and that hasn’t held Patty Murray accountable — you know, that insulates her from any tough questioning, insulates her from being accountable to the voters.”
For the last 30 years, she’s had a free pass. Right? They’ve held her water for her, and no more. Not on our watch. Not on our family’s watch. You know, at the end of the day, these policies that we’re talking about, they effect real people. This is about real people’s lives, and that’s why our campaign is winning, because we have solutions to turn this crisis into hope. So, Patty Murray’s desperate. I guarantee you she coordinated this, and what a shame. What an awful look for a 30-year incumbent that you have to resort to dirty tricks and hacks to try to bring down your opponent as the winning message.
CLAY: Yeah, and I want to give you an opportunity, because a lot of people are still learning about your campaign as we sit here 34 days out. We’re all over the state of Washington, but also the country where people can donate money to help you.
SMILEY: Yes.
CLAY: Tell us your husband’s story and how he came to have that Seahawks jersey one more time —
SMILEY: Yes.
CLAY: — because I think, frankly, it makes the behavior of the Seahawks even more indefensible.
SMILEY: Yes. No, it absolutely does. Our life changed when my husband was blinded by a suicide car bomb in service to our country when he was serving in Mosul, Iraq. So, at 23 years old, I resigned from my nursing job here in Washington State and took a one-way flight out to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. I didn’t know if I was going to meet Scotty dead or alive, but I was going to be there, and one thing was certain: The suicide bomber that he was negotiating with detonated his car and the shrapnel obliterated both of Scotty’s eyes.
So, since that fateful day, April 6, 2005, Scotty has never seen. He’s never seen our children’s faces — they were all born after he was blind — and I had this wild idea that he could serve and that he would be a good steward of taxpayers’ dollars. And I didn’t like… As a nurse, I didn’t like how they how the system was treating him. So, I took on the Army. Scotty went on and became the first blind, active duty officer to ever serve our country. And then I took on the VA because that was the right thing to do. When Scotty was well, we took on the VA and helped pass meaningful reform for injured veterans and their families. And now we’re in this fight to take on 30-year incumbent Senator Murray, who has failed Washington State on every turn. And for our family, this is this is service over self and country, over party. This is about standing up and being a voice for all of Washington State.
BUCK: You know, Clay, the Seahawks organization should honestly be ashamed.
CLAY: Yes.
BUCK: The Seattle Times apparently doesn’t know what the First Amendment is, which is not surprising because all these media organizations want to censor their opponents.
SMILEY: Right.
BUCK: But the Seahawks? I mean, to say that the jersey in this context — now that everyone’s heard the story — they should be ashamed, honestly, as an organization.
SMILEY: They should.
BUCK: And, Tiffany, we’re just so proud of what we’re seeing here with you in a very blue state, making a very gallant run here for that seat, and to give the people of your state some hope that there’ll be representation that is sane.
SMILEY: Yes.
BUCK: We got people listening all across Washington State right now. What do they need to know when we’re looking to see how you can close this gap? What’s different if you’re representing Washingtonians in the United States Senate.
SMILEY: We will deliver. (chuckles) We will actually bring results to the customer (laughs) and that’s the people of Washington State. You know, I, I was at a homeless encampment last week, and it was this really special moment. We are cleaning up and helping the residents there and cleaning up dirty needles and a woman from across the way who was there helping clean up this encampment as well, she came over and she said, “Tiffany Smiley!” And I said, “Yes.”
And she said, “I’m a lifelong Democrat, I’ve always voted for Patty Murray, and this year I’m voting for you.” And it was a special moment because here we were at this homeless encampment, just wanting what’s best for these people, for our state, for Seattle, and it’s really not about Democrat or Republican. It’s not American issues. It’s about the quality of life here in Washington State. It’s about ensuring that people are off drugs and have a shot and have hope for the future. So we’re delivering hope and a solution to a better future.
Patty Murray has no agenda, no plan. You can go to both of our websites and see the stark difference for yourself. But if anyone wants to support us in this effort and in being a voice for all of Washington and improving the quality of life — standing up and fighting for our children and their education in this state — they can join me at SmileyForWashington.com, all spelled out. You can become a volunteer, you can donate to our campaign and our effort. We will win this race.
BUCK: Was she a BLM supporter, by the way? Was Murray a BLM supporter in 2020?
SMILEY: So, she went on the Senate floor June of 2020, and she called for funds to be diverted away from our police force, and then she went into hiding. She actually disappeared. We did not hear from her as Seattle was completely dismantled with the CHOP, CHAZ autonomous zone. Young kids were actually murdered. Women were raped. It was horrific, and we continue to see an increase in crime. Patty Murray’s soft-on-crime policies have absolutely contributed to what we’re facing today.
CLAY: Tiffany, you were fighting for kids — you’ve got kids of your own — for them to be in schools. Patty Murray refused to even acknowledge that shutting down schools was wrong, and she didn’t do that like six months ago. She did it in the last few weeks. You’re a mom.
SMILEY: She did.
CLAY: I know there’s a lot of other moms and dads that are still furious about that. Doesn’t she deserve to lose just based on that?
SMILEY: She does. We are the campaign for parents. So, any parents out there listening, come join us. We are fighting for our children. You know, Senator Murray did. She doubled down, basically said she has no regrets with how she handled the pandemic. I was meeting with the psychologist yesterday and a sheriff from Snohomish County who made it very clear that we are in a crisis, a mental health crisis, and it was abuse what we did to our kids. You know, we should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time in this country, and our children needed to be in school. The masks needed to be the parents’ choice — and, at that point, we could have followed the science and made educated guesses. You are right. That alone is the reason that Patty Murray needs to retire. She’s completely out of touch.
BUCK: Tiffany Smiley, everybody. She can pull it off if you help her. Our Washington Clay and Buck audience: Mobilize, friends! Get out there. Get friends to help her. Get friends to knock on some doors. Get out there and vote. Clay, our work is never done, friend. We got more tomorrow.
CLAY: Marsha Blackburn, senator here in Tennessee, called her one of the best candidates she’s ever seen. You can make a difference in a big way, Washington. Put Tiffany Smiley in the Senate.
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