Washington Returns: The Story of James Wilson

[Maxwell]

"Our country needs to get back on track. We have plans to lower the deficit, cut spending, and improve the healthcare system before Obamacare bankrupts it. America, we need leadership, which is something our current President doesn't provide. So join me in introducing the next Vice President of the United States... from the great state of Washington, Senator James Edwin Wilson." - Mitt Romney, 2012 Presidential Nominee

Hold up... who is James Edwin Wilson?

Part 1: Birth and Early Life

James Edwin Wilson was born on August 16th, 1962, near the city of Seattle, Washington. Unfortunately, he wasn't so much a part of the bustling city: he was a child of a poor family on the outskirts of the city. His mom was a homemaker, and his father was a city councillor of a smaller town, Bellevue, Washington, where he was making very little money. His father was a moderate Republican, like many in the city, and was one of few to get to his position without a college degree. City Councilor Maynard Wilson taught his son everything he knew about politics and everything else, but to his son, it wasn't much.

James Wilson was a veracious reader, and decided that he would try to go farther in his fathers field than his father ever did. He managed to be the first in his family to go to college, by going to Harvard Law. He was not one of the top students, never quite so much as interested in becoming a lawyer, but he did do enough, and by getting his degree he moved back to Washington to start his political career.

Part 2: Seattle Politics

After a small and uninteresting stint as a Seattle Attorney, Wilson ran for Mayor of Seattle in 1989, with little name recognition and little money. He ran against Doug Jewett, a Republican city councilor who wanted to end busing for school integration. Wilson played smartly to Seattle needs, he ran to Jewett's left on busing, but ran to his right on economic concerns. Wilson criticized Jewett on letting Mayor Charles Royer run the deficits that he ran. Starting at 5% against Jewett's 72%, Wilson started to gain more and more, and eventually, upset the City Councilor 50.2% to 49.8% in the Republican primary. This was a shock to the whole political establishment of Seattle.

This put Democratic Mayoral candidate Norm Rice in a bit of a haggle. Norm Rice was expecting to run against the more established Jewett, who had a strong floor, had also a low ceiling to his support. While this new candidate in Wilson had a clearly lower floor, he also had a higher ceiling. With resources increasing, Rice's 20 point lead started to eviscerate. Nevertheless, the young aspiring attorney in Wilson lost the race: He managed to take in only 47% of the vote, with Norm Rice taking in 53% of the vote. Wilson managed to hit a high point in the ceiling for Washington State Republicans, but realized that he wouldn't be able to take that win so much further. This caused James Wilson to stay out of the field for a while and look into more seriously going back to his career as an attorney.

[Maxwell]

1990-1993: Life in Washington (D.C.)

Senator Slade Gorton had been watching the election from his victory party. The Senator had been paying attention to new talent in the state of Washington, looking for a new chief of staff. Gorton usually kept to a close group, but outside of it was interested in looking into this James Wilson. Wilson, equally, was looking to get out of the state of Washington, looking at no hope to escalate his political career, no inspiration to run for city council in Seattle, and no desire to be a lawyer for the rest of his life. Gorton came to Wilson's place of residency personally to offer him a job as Gorton's chief of staff. Wilson jumped at the chance: taking his wife with him and his only child, John Wilson.

What Wilson saw in Washington did not inspire him. Gorton was a player in Washington, and Wilson had to swim through lobbyists to get anywhere. Gorton's office seemed particularly full, with his votes for particular issues conflicting with the real issues of the state. Wilson drew concern to Gorton many times on this, but Gorton was nonchalant, knowing his role as a Washington player. Wilson felt as if his soul was in a dirty box.

This inspired Wilson's whole future ahead of him. He would follow his own issues, be his own man, never follow anyone, and most importantly, never give in to political interests. He wanted to return to Washington some day as someone who could change things. And in 1993, he saw the chance: Tide was turning against President Clinton, and particularly in his state of Washington, things were getting more and more difficult for Democrats. He resigned as Gorton's Chief of Staff to run in a primary for the Congressional seat near his old home in Seattle.

1993-1994: Fighting the Good Fight: A Run for Congress

"Maria Cantwell has voted again and again for the views of those in power. Voting with the Clinton's on healthcare, on the deficit, and with special interests. If I am your congressman, I will not be standing with Maria Cantwell. I will be standing for the people of Seattle, and the people of Washington state. That's why I am announcing my candidacy for the First Congressional District of Washington!" - Gorton Chief of Staff James Wilson, announcing his first campaign for Congress

Due to his connections with Slade Gorton, most of Gorton's people, without Wilson's permission, scared off many who would run against him. One man, however, stood in the way. Rick White was a charismatic conservative, one who had managed to win a Seattle City Council seat. White ran a more family values based campaign, attacking Cantwell for her lack of marriage, and her stance on abortion. This attracted many working class, and it had made him a narrow leader in the polls.

Wilson, however, managed to push White off. His support from Senator Gorton, who he still never felt good about, managed to push the Republican primary electorate more towards Wilson. In addition, Wilson made a concerted push for fiscal conservatives, pushing against Whites stances and calling them "fringe". This tactic rarely worked, but it worked for the Seattle Republican electorate, who voted for Wilson by a strong margin.

1994 Republican Primary, Washington 1st District:
Former Chief of Staff James Edwin Wilson - 58.2%
City Councillor Rick White - 41.8%

From there, the general seemed more and more like a cakewalk. Cantwell tried to run against Wilson on his close position to Senator Gorton, calling hypocrisy on his anti-D.C. stance, but the move backfired on the increasingly anti-democrat, anti-incumbent electorate. Cantwell's numbers kept falling, and it almost seemed like Wilson could not even campaign at all and still win. Nevertheless, Wilson went to every door, trying to convince Democrats that there needs to be a change. A conservative, Wilson agreed with the Contract to America. But he also made one very bold stance: He was for gay marriage. In the closing days before the election, he made this statement:

"Before you go out there and vote, let's make one thing clear: I am a conservative. I am pro-life, pro-small government, and most importantly, I want to defend those who want to be entrepreneurs in this country. Small businesses are the heart of this country. But I want one thing from you: honesty. And I want to bring honesty back to the country, which is why my clear stance on the issue of gay marriage shall be made: I don't believe that people of different races or different orientations should be forgone the same rights. That's why I think that gay marriage should be legal. I will fight in Washington D.C., and I will fight here, in my dear home of Seattle, for the rights of those that seemingly go undefended. It's time we approached that the right way."

He was the center of right-wing fury, but he managed to beat Cantwell by an astonishing margin in a volatile place. He was getting more and more well known across the country.

1994 General Election, Washington 1st District:
Chief of Staff James Edwin Wilson - 56.4%
Congresswoman Maria Cantwell - 42.2%
Others - 1.4%