Washington state megathread

[CultureKing]

All his plan does is take money from other parts of the budget and redirects it to education. It's a bit like cutting off your foot so you can lose weight. You solve one problem but create another one that's much worse.

What we really need is a tax increase to fund greater education spending but of course that's not on the table because OUR STATE TAX CODE AND BUDGET SYSTEM SUCKS SO BADLY.

...But Tim Eyman and direct democracy RULZ!1!!11!

[Meeker]

Ron Sims is retiring from HUD and moving back to Seattle.

[bgwah]

Ron Sims is retiring from HUD and moving back to Seattle.

...Hmm, kinda suspicious timing.

Dunn also announced his run for AG today.

[bgwah]

This election won't feel right without Dino Rossi running.

[Meeker]

This election won't feel right without Dino Rossi running.

Maria still needs an opponent...

[Seattle]

This election won't feel right without Dino Rossi running.

Maria still needs an opponent...

How 'close' would that make the election?

[Meeker]

This election won't feel right without Dino Rossi running.

Maria still needs an opponent...

How 'close' would that make the election?

Rossi has always managed to get at least 47% of the vote. It's getting that next 2 or 3% that's been the challenge.

[Meeker]

http://crosscut.com/2011/06/15/elections/21023/Brian-Sonntag-will-decide-soon-on-governor-s-race/#end-of-comments

I post this because of the info about Sonntag it mentions, but the writer (like most Crosscut writers) is a moron. Inslee has a 50-50 shot of getting in? The man has been running for Governor since Gregoire took office. And his comments about not getting in to a contested Democratic primary referred to if Gregorie decided to run again.

[bgwah]

^ Yeah, that's a pretty bad article. Sonntag got 70-something percent in 2008? Really? Try 63.5%.

[Seattle]

^ Yeah, that's a pretty bad article. Sonntag got 70-something percent in 2008? Really? Try 63.5%.

Lol, he must have quoted Wikipedia.

[Хahar 🤔]

Rob McKenna is making pleasant noises regarding K-12 and higher education funding:

McKenna's call to boost school funds short on details

By Jim Brunner
Seattle Times political reporter

State Attorney General Rob McKenna rolled out his 2012 campaign for governor last week with an attention-grabbing call to reverse decades of dwindling state support for public schools and universities.

Taking the stage at Bellevue's Sammamish High School, where he graduated in 1980, the Republican said the state should return to spending about three-quarters of its budget on education, as it did when he was young.

"We need to go back to a state commitment to funding education, a commitment where public education receives the kind of share of the budget it got when we were in school," McKenna declared.

But could he really deliver on that?

McKenna laid out ambitious specifics. He said K-12 schools should receive about 51 percent of the budget, instead of the current 40 percent. Colleges should have a 16 percent slice, McKenna said, double what they receive now.

So Rob McKenna wants to make it rain for schools?

[Meeker]

Jim Kastama is running for Secretary of State. The likely Republican nominee will be Thurston County Auditor Kim Wyman. No idea if another Democrat will get in.

[bgwah]

Jim Kastama is running for Secretary of State. The likely Republican nominee will be Thurston County Auditor Kim Wyman. No idea if another Democrat will get in.

Pierce Democrat vs. Thurston Republican?? Hmm... Sounds very familiar!

https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=53&year=1992&f=0&off=11&elect=0

[CultureKing]

Jim Kastama is running for Secretary of State. The likely Republican nominee will be Thurston County Auditor Kim Wyman. No idea if another Democrat will get in.

Pierce Democrat vs. Thurston Republican?? Hmm... Sounds very familiar!

https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=53&year=1992&f=0&off=11&elect=0

Dang... I actually like Wyman. Though if she turns out to be like Reed then I wouldn't mind seeing her elected.

[Хahar 🤔]

So Rob McKenna wants to make it rain for schools?

Appreciate my Rob McKenna jokes!

[Meeker]

State Representative Bruce Dammeier (a rising Republican star) is running for Jim Kastama's State Senate seat. While this is extremely bad news in terms of holding the seat, the good news is that Dammeier definitely won't be running for Congress now. Yay!

[Meeker]

In yet another Puyallup-centric post, an NFL player is running for Puyallup School Board: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dane_Looker

[Seattle]

State Representative Bruce Dammeier (a rising Republican star) is running for Jim Kastama's State Senate seat. While this is extremely bad news in terms of holding the seat, the good news is that Dammeier definitely won't be running for Congress now. Yay!

Which seat would that be? and where would he run for congress?

[Meeker]

State Representative Bruce Dammeier (a rising Republican star) is running for Jim Kastama's State Senate seat. While this is extremely bad news in terms of holding the seat, the good news is that Dammeier definitely won't be running for Congress now. Yay!

Which seat would that be? and where would he run for congress?

There's a chance that part or all of Puyallup will be in the 10th.

[Meeker]

Jay Inslee is set to announce on Monday. He also came out in favor of same-sex marriage which is pretty cool.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Sam Reed is retiring. Democratic sweep of the statewide offices?

[Meeker]

Sam Reed is retiring. Democratic sweep of the statewide offices?

Maybe. I think we'll be able to win the AG race. The Republicans will have another Sam Reed-esque candidate running for Secretary of State but the state's moved to the left since Reed was first elected and our candidate will be pretty good. I think we'll probably win.

The Governor's race is the big question mark.

[Meeker]

Oh yeah, John Ladenburg isn't running for AG but is running for State Supreme Court instead. I guess I'll vote for him. Maybe.

[Ogre Mage]

Sam Reed is retiring. Democratic sweep of the statewide offices?

Obama's coattails can only help Democrats in Washington.  The AG's race is the one I feel most confident about.  Reagan Dunn has good name ID because of his mother (Jennifer Dunn) but he has a reputation for being lazy and Bob Ferguson is anything but.  Maybe Dunn will seriously up his game, but I doubt it.

Not so sure about SoS.  Kim Wyman is a solid candidate, we'll see what evolves on the Democratic side.  Interestingly, the GOP has controlled the SoS Office in Washington state since the mid 1960s -- over 45 years! 

The governor's race will likely be one of the most closely watched in the country.  I think it would be unwise to speculate at this point.

[bgwah]

Do we have any news on Owen?

Also, I notice Goodman has switched to WA-01. That's too bad, I like him. Who does that leave for WA-08, Hunter? If the 8th turns into some horrific Auburn to Wenatchee gerrymander, we might just get another joke candidate.

Sam Reed is retiring. Democratic sweep of the statewide offices?

Obama's coattails can only help Democrats in Washington.  The AG's race is the one I feel most confident about.  Reagan Dunn has good name ID because of his mother (Jennifer Dunn) but he has a reputation for being lazy and Bob Ferguson is anything but.  Maybe Dunn will seriously up his game, but I doubt it.

Not so sure about SoS.  Kim Wyman is a solid candidate, we'll see what evolves on the Democratic side.  Interestingly, the GOP has controlled the SoS Office in Washington state since the mid 1960s -- over 45 years!

The governor's race will likely be one of the most closely watched in the country.  I think it would be unwise to speculate at this point.

That's nothing! The State Auditor has been a Democrat for about eight decades now.