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The Republican Governors Association launched their first television ad in Washington's gubernatorial race, hitting former Democratic Rep. Jay Inslee on his vote for the $800 billion stimulus -- and an unspecified "massive tax increase" on small businesses -- without mentioning President Obama. Inslee's ties to the commander-in-chief, and favorable votes for his legislative priorities, are hardly a negative in liberal Washington State.

The ad works hard to avoid implying any connection with the president's policies, going so far as to refer to the stimulus only as a "$800 billion spending program that never delivered the promised jobs."

The ad picks up on a theme national Republicans are using against Obama, implying that while Inslee is likeable and has tried to do a good job for Washington State voters, he has merely fallen short. "We don't expect perfection," the ad's narrator intones, "but Jay Inslee has made mistake after mistake."

The ad, which is running statewide, is the first from the RGA against Inslee, though it will likely be one of several in the state this cycle. The group has reserved more than $2.4 million in airtime through November and has donated more than $4 million to a PAC supporting McKenna, the Seattle Times reported last week.

Meanwhile its Democratic counterpart, which has yet to hit the Washington airwaves, has given about $2 million to a PAC supporting his Inslee, which is expected to run at least $2.8 million in advertising against McKenna closer to Election Day, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.