Washington 2020: The Calm Before the Drizzle

[Ogre Mage]

Update on the 10th Congressional District race:

The three candidates for the 10th Congressional District seat who have showed the most fundraising prowess are former state Rep. Kristine Reeves of Federal Way, former Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland, and state Rep. Beth Doglio of Olympia. The three also have announced major endorsements in recent weeks.

Reeves had raised the most at $274,058 and spent $73,990, leaving her campaign with a balance of $200,068 ; Strickland collected $251,651 and spent $102,505, with cash on hand of $149,146 ; Doglio raised $239,639, leaving her with a balance of $219,471. She entered the race on Feb. 29, compared to early January for Reeves and December for Strickland.

On Monday, a week after Reeves announced that her campaign had raised the most funds, she trumpeted an endorsement from the National Education Association political action committee. The PAC picked her based on a recommendation from Washington Education Association members. She also has won endorsements from Teamsters Joint Council No. 28 and the Laborers’ International Union of North America.

Doglio also made a big splash on Monday, announcing that U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Seattle, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus political action committee had endorsed her. Jayapal is a co-chair of the PAC. Doglio also has landed several labor endorsements, including the Washington Federation of State Employees and United Food and Commercial Workers 21.

Late last month, Strickland announced that former governors Christine Gregoire and Gary Locke had endorsed her, along with former U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks.

https://www.theolympian.com/news/politics-government/election/article242605546.html

[Ogre Mage]

Olive oil Shea is a terrorist and a f**king lunatic and should be in jail. 

[Ogre Mage]

In Washington State, the debate these days is mainly between the progressive and centrist wings of the Democratic Party (I would consider myself a swing vote between the two wings).  The WA GOP is a hateful, incompetent $hit show which has no grasp of reality and therefore is not taken seriously.

[Ogre Mage]

As someone who's recently moved to WA, I have to ask. What is wrong with the WA GOP that they're so irrelevant? Do they just have no somewhat competent candidates? Or is it more a branding issue? Gotta be some reason that they haven't won in literally decades.

Back in the 1980s and 1990s when Washington State was a swing state, the WA GOP M.O. was to run by demonizing King County in general and Seattle specifically.  This sometimes worked until growth in the Greater Seattle region rendered the strategy unworkable.  The sign the tipping point had been reached was when three-term incumbent U.S. Senator Slade Gorton was defeated by Maria Cantwell in 2000 in an ultra-close race.  Cantwell only won five counties in that race but racked up huge margins in King County.

As the 2000s wore on, the WA GOP continued the same losing strategy even as Seattle and King County got more populous.  The result is irrelevance in statewide races.  The WA GOP remains competitive at the district level.

[Ogre Mage]

As someone who's recently moved to WA, I have to ask. What is wrong with the WA GOP that they're so irrelevant? Do they just have no somewhat competent candidates? Or is it more a branding issue? Gotta be some reason that they haven't won in literally decades.

Back in the 1980s and 1990s when Washington State was a swing state, the WA GOP M.O. was to run by demonizing King County in general and Seattle specifically.  This sometimes worked until growth in the Greater Seattle region rendered the strategy unworkable.  The sign the tipping point had been reached was when three-term incumbent U.S. Senator Slade Gorton was defeated by Maria Cantwell in 2000 in an ultra-close race.  Cantwell only won five counties in that race but racked up huge margins in King County.

As the 2000s wore on, the WA GOP continued the same losing strategy even as Seattle and King County got more populous.  The result is irrelevance in statewide races.  The WA GOP remains competitive at the district level.

I was living in Seattle at the time and remember that race well! I believe it took around 2 weeks and 1 or 2 recounts before the race was finally decided.

It was kind of shocking at the time given that WA lurched pretty far rightward in the '94 midterms and there were some pretty right-wing crazies running for statewide offices then: Linda Smith against Patty Murray in '98 and Ellen Craswell against Gary Locke for governor in '96. Is Pam Roach still haunting the state capitol these days?

Pistol packing Pam "Who moved my roses??!!!" Roach thankfully left the State Legislature in 2016 when she won a seat on the Pierce County Council.  She retired in 2020.

[Ogre Mage]

Kim Wyman's appointment is a politically sly move by the Biden Administration.  It makes them look bipartisan and it destroys whatever small chance Wyman had of becoming governor.  Now that she is associated with the Biden Administration there is zero chance she would survive a Republican Primary.  But Wyman probably realized her chances were slim anyway after speaking out against the Traitor Tot's lies about voter fraud.

On Tuesday, Crosscut spoke with several people in state and local politics about whom they would like to see fill Wyman’s shoes. Here are some of the names that have been floating to the top.

https://crosscut.com/politics/2021/10/short-list-ideas-replace-kim-wyman-wa-secretary-state

[Ogre Mage]

I see political expediency in Gov. Inslee's selection of Sen. Hobbs for Secretary of State.  Inslee just removed a blockade to his climate-change agenda from the State Legislature.