It's pronounced Pa-koh-tas, like "Dakotas." The "o" sound is long, like the "o" sound in "Joe." The moderator from the League of Women Voters of Pullman asks about half a dozen questions at the League's primary forum on Monday night before she finally gets it right. (SNIP) (McMorris Rodgers, who was campaigning in Spokane on Monday, never responded to the League's invitation.