Jennifer Dunn's legacy is the lasting power of the state Republican Party. Yes, the party is at a low point in terms of the numbers of seats held in the Legislature and the GOP looks out of favor. But it strikes me that the presence of Rob McKenna in the attorney general's office, Luke Esser as state chair, Dino Rossi waiting in the wings to run for governor and her own son, Reagan, at the King County Council, shows that Dunn's form of Republicanism is alive today. Dave Reichert's hold on Dunn's old congressional seat shows the same.

Dunn believed in a pragmatic GOP. She was a moderate. And though some of those I mentioned above are not, they emulate her style and her approach to campaigning. Dunn held the 8th Congressional District from its inception until she decided to move on. I believe she could have been a congresswoman for as long as she wanted. McKenna called her today an important mentor. Political consultant Bret Bader is quoted in The Times story saying:

"It's like a whole generation of Republicans have lost their mom. She was that giant of a figure."

I think he's exactly right. At one time many thought, and she hoped, that she would be the face and voice of a different sort of Republican Party, one who believed in George Bush's compassionate conservatism. She was acting that way before Bush was talking that way. Her party featured her at times, but after the Republican landslide of 1994 she was out of style. She fought for a top leadership post but had to settle for less.

Dunn was a rare politician in a couple of ways that come to mind. First off, she liked raising money and she said so. She was good at it, as party chairwoman, as a member of congress and as a top fundraiser for Bush. I'm not sure I've ever heard an elected official say they liked that part of the job as much as Dunn did. It was a large part of her success. From her time as party chairwoman she built a network of contacts around the country. I remember walking across the floor of the 1996 GOP convention in San Diego with her. In that world she was a star.

And I spent time with her again in 2000 when there were rampant rumors that she was likely to get an important post in the White House if Bush was successful that fall. She connected me with Karl Rove for a story I did on Dunn's role. But she never made that step up to the White House with Bush.

I exchanged e-mails with Dunn last month, as we did on occasion. She was named to the board that was to protect the editorial independence of the Wall Street Journal under new owner Rupert Murdoch. I was surprised to see her name there among well-known journalist types.

Dunn was on vacation in Scotland on fishing and sightseeing in what she said was perfect weather and beautiful scenery. How did she get on that panel? Dunn told me:

Apparently negotiators were looking for someone who was an independent person, not a journalist but who had common sense and the ability to evaluate the independence of the publications. My name came up, was submitted to all the parties to the agreement, and was agreed to.

Dunn has also been busy as a board member of the Commission on Presidential Debates. She won't get to see if she has been successful in bringing a debate to Washington state next year. If it happens, it'll be another important legacy of her leadership for the state.

My condolences to her friends and family.