NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | August 19, 2016 | PAGE 3
Washington’s top-two primary delivers strange results
AFL-CIO in Washington wants to
take back the Legislature in the
November election.
Washington’s “top two” primary
once again delivered strange re-
sults as ballots were counted fol-
lowing the Aug. 2 vote: In the
race for state treasurer, voters
will find no Democrat on the bal-
lot in November, even though
Democratic candidates got a 51.4
percent majority of the votes in
the primary.
In most states, primary elec-
tions determine who the Demo-
cratic and Republican parties
will place on the November
general election ballot, but un-
der a ballot measure passed by
Washington voters in 2004, all
candidates from all parties com-
pete against each other in the
primary, and then the top two
vote-getters for each elective of-
fice square off in the November
general election — even if both
are Democrats or Republicans.
[Oregon voters rejected similar
proposals in 2008 and 2014.] In
this year’s treasurer’s race, De-
mocrats split votes among three
candidates, and Republicans
among two; that’s why voters
will have only Republicans to
choose from in November —
Benton County treasurer Duane
Davidson and real estate invest-
ment exec Michael Waite. It’s
the first time that has happened
in a statewide race in Washing-
ton, where voters lean strongly
Democratic in presidential elec-
tions. The state treasurer’s office
has been held by Democrats for
60 years.
Washington State Labor
Council (WSLC) — the state
AFL-CIO — had endorsed state
Sen. Marko Liias, who got the
most votes of the three Democ-
rats running for the post.
But the treasurer’s race
wasn’t a top priority for labor.
The real battle this year is to see
whether Democrats can pick up
two seats to control the state
Senate — while holding on to or
expanding their 50-to-48 major-
ity in the state House. For sev-
eral years, the 26-to-23 Repub-
lican majority in the Senate has
blocked pro-labor laws and
budget plans supported by the
House and Gov. Jay Inslee.
Democrats’ best hope of Sen-
ate gains are in Legislative Dis-
trict (LD) 41, Mercer Island, and
LD 17, Vancouver. In LD 41, la-
bor-endorsed Democrat Lisa
Wellman outpolled incumbent
Republican state Sen. Steve Lit-
zow by about 300 votes; they’ll
face each other again in Novem-
ber.
BATTLE FOR THE LEGISLATURE
East Vancouver - LD 17, State
Senate
In LD 17, former Democratic
state rep Tim Probst came
within a few dozen votes of cur-
rent Republican state Rep.
Lynda Wilson in the race to
succeed outgoing East Vancou-
ver Republican senator Don
Benton. Probst is the director of
Workforce Development Initia-
tives at Washington State Em-
ployment Security Department
and has a strong relationship
with local unions. He lost to
Benton by just 78 votes in 2012.
Wilson, meanwhile, is a noted
union foe who has pledged not
to take contributions from
unions. She’s married to Tracy
Wilson, who sits on the board of
directors of the anti-union Free-
dom Foundation, which sends
paid canvassers out to union
members’ homes to try to get
them to quit their union. Probst
and Wilson will face off again in
November.
East Vancouver - LD 17, State
Representative, Position 1
In the East Vancouver House
seat Wilson vacated to run for
state Senate, Freedom Founda-
tion staffer Vicki Craft, a Re-
publican, was the first place fin-
isher, but labor-endorsed Sam
Kim, a Navy veteran and Clark
County IT worker, placed sec-
ond in the six-way race. All told,
the Democratic candidates to-
taled 52 percent, so Kim has a
decent chance of winning the
seat in November.
Longview - LD 19, State
Representative, Position 1
J.D. Rosetti, a union-backed in-
cumbent Democratic state rep,
won’t be on the November bal-
lot. In a five-way primary, he
was several dozen votes short of
second-place finisher Teresa
Purcell, a Democrat. She’ll face
Republican Jim Walsh for the
Longview-area seat.
Vancouver - LD 49, State
Senate
Labor-backed incumbent De-
mocrat Annette Cleveland got
57 percent of the vote in a four-
way race, and will face Repub-
lican Lewis Gerhardt (32 per-
cent) in November.
Vancouver - LD 49, State
Representative, Position 1
Labor-backed Democratic in-
cumbent Sharon Wylie coasted
to victory with 74 percent of the
vote. She’ll face fellow Democ-
rat Kaitlyn Beck in November.
No Republican filed for the of-
fice.
Vancouver - LD 49, State
Representative, Position 2
WSLC-endorsed incumbent
Monica Stonier took first place
in a four-way race with 37 per-
cent. She’ll face fellow Democ-
rat Alishia Topper in November.
OTHER PRIMARY RESULTS
Governor
Labor-backed incumbent De-
mocrat Jay Inslee will face Re-
publican businessman (and
Seattle port commissioner) Bill
Bryant. In the Aug. 2 matchup,
Inslee polled 49 percent to
Bryant’s 38 percent.
Lieutenant Governor
The candidate who had the most
labor support won the most
votes: Bellevue state Sen.
Cyrus Habib, current Demo-
cratic Whip. He will face Re-
publican talk show host Marty
McClendon in November. In a
field of 11 candidates, Habib got
22 percent, and McClendon got
19 percent.
Congressional District 3
Incumbent Republican Con-
gresswoman Jaime Herrera
Beutler will face Democratic
state Rep. Jim Moeller in the
November general election.
Moeller led a pack of five chal-
lengers, getting 26 percent of the
vote, with Herrera Beutler
pulling in about 54 percent.
Clark County
Incumbent County Commis-
sioner David Madore is out.
The controversial Republican
took third place in the primary,
with 24 percent support. Demo-
crat Tanisha Harris came in
first with 45 percent and will
face Republican John Blom,
who got 30 percent. Madore
won’t be missed by local
unions; he was a staunch oppo-
nent of the Columbia River
Crossing, and pushed unsuc-
cessfully for an anti-union
“right-to-work” ordinance.