- Republican Senate challenger Mike McGavick revealed a drunken driving incident and discussed his divorce and other past missteps, saying, “It’s true I’ve made mistakes.”

In his remarkable confession Thursday, McGavick said he had no indication that opponents were about to divulge the 1993 DUI case when he decided to reveal it himself. He is the favorite in the Sept. 19 GOP primary for the nomination to challenge Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell.

His comments came in an interview with The Associated Press and he later covered the same topics in “an open letter from Mike” on his campaign blog.

The divorce, a questionable campaign tactic from 1988, and layoffs at Safeco Insurance Co. had all been noted in previous campaign coverage. Word of the DUI in 1993 was new, as was his overall decision to publicly discuss his past in hopes, he said, of being to return to focusing on the issues.

“I just felt that given some of the stuff out there, that I was better off to just make clear that I know I am not without faults,” he said. He said clearing the air would allow him to focus.

“It’s true I’ve made mistakes, and learned from that,” he said.

McGavick, 48, is a former campaign director and chief of staff for Sen. Slade Gorton, whom Cantwell defeated in 2000 by fewer than 2,300 votes. He retired from Safeco to run against her this year.

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