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Walt Minnick receives builders’ support
BOISE – A building industry group has endorsed U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick in his bid for a second term, saying Idaho’s lone Democrat in Congress has proven himself to be “fair and proactive.” The Idaho Associated General Contractors, which represents more than 800 companies, has traditionally supported Republicans, including Minnick’s 2008 Republican rival, U.S. Rep. Bill Sali.
Shelly O’Quinn calls district home
A legislative candidate who moved into the Spokane-area district she wants to represent just months before filing notice that she would run is dismissing as a nonissue criticism questioning her short-term residency. Shelly O’Quinn, who grew up in Spokane Valley, moved to a South Hill rental home with her family in April 2009. In September, she filed notice with the state Public Disclosure Commission that she was running for the 6th Legislative District House seat now held by Democrat John Driscoll.
McMorris Rodgers announces pregnancy
U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is expecting her second child about a month after the general election.
Ads attack conservative state justice
OLYMPIA – Liberal advocacy groups have ramped up their bid to oust state Supreme Court Justice Jim Johnson, the high court’s most conservative member. Johnson faces Tacoma attorney Stan Rumbaugh in the Aug. 17 primary.
Labrador office moves to Boise
BOISE – U.S. House hopeful Raul Labrador’s cash-strapped campaign has moved to downtown Boise to conserve resources, setting up a new headquarters outside the congressional district he wants to represent. The penny-saving move underscores Labrador’s difficulty in fundraising compared to his Democratic rival, U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick, who has more than $1 million on hand and holds a 16 to 1 cash advantage.
Editorial: Baker proves he’s worth retaining in assessor post
We’ve been hearing a lot about low morale and ineffective leadership in the Spokane County Assessor’s Office. Assessor Ralph Baker discounts the accusations, but the crowded field of five challengers in the primary election makes them hard to ignore. The rivals have lodged mostly anecdotal complaints about matters ranging from inconsistent training approaches to the inability of citizens to get direct answers.
Spokane County commissioner race votes limited to district
Voters throughout Spokane County eventually will have the chance to vote for Spokane County commissioner. But only those who live in Commissioner Bonnie Mager’s district can vote in the Aug. 17 primary in that race.
Editorial: Commission would benefit from French’s leadership
Democratic incumbent Bonnie Mager has drawn three strong Republican challengers in the primary contest for Spokane County commissioner. Party affiliation alone could grant her one of the two slots for the general election if her opponents divvy up GOP votes. But much of the job is nonpartisan, and the decision for voters ought to rest on who can be the most effective leader in highly challenging times. Mager is often at odds with the two other commissioners, Mark Richard and Todd Mielke. To her credit, she was a critic of the duo’s unfortunate deal to purchase Spokane Raceway Park, which the county ought to sell back into the private sector at the first opportune moment.
Use candidate profiles to inform primary ballot picks
Eastern Washington voters are receiving their primary ballots, with nearly three weeks to mark and return them before the Aug. 17 primary. Some voters may need that much time to sort through the long list of candidates for some races: four for an open legislative seat in central Spokane’s 3rd District, five for Spokane County commissioner, six for Eastern Washington’s U.S. House seat and 15 for the U.S. Senate.
Strategies vary in Murray challenge
The summary of the Aug. 17 primary in Washington’s U.S. Senate race can be viewed as: A. Incumbent Democrat Patty Murray against a field of 14 challengers, one of whom gets enough votes to run against her in the fall.
Senate run reasoning ranges from pot to God
For sheer variety, it’s hard to beat this year’s U.S. Senate race. And I’m not talking about the candidates you’ve likely heard of. There’s a doctor, a lawyer, a physicist, a retired bank worker, a retired postal worker, a retired iron worker. Some are serious people in a first try for office; others are less serious and have run many times.
U.S. Senate
To allow readers to compare and contrast the main candidates for the U.S. Senate on several issues, The Spokesman-Review asked the three main Republican challengers and the incumbent Democrat the same five questions: • What changes, if any, would you support for the health care reform that passed this year?
Democrats have tough task in 5th
Consider the plight of the Democrats trying to take back Eastern Washington’s congressional seat, a spot they once held for 30 years. Until a few days before filing week opened June 7, they had no announced candidate and no hope of wresting the seat from three-term Republican incumbent Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a former state legislator who advanced rapidly into GOP leadership circles within the U.S. House of Representatives.
Retirement creates opportunity in 3rd
Speculation that Rep. Alex Wood might retire after more than a decade representing central Spokane in the state House of Representatives sparked vast interest in the seat among Democrats. After all, the 3rd Legislative District is Eastern Washington’s most reliably Democratic district.
3rd Legislative District, Position 1
Personal: 54, Democrat. Born in Spokane. Single. No children. Education: Graduated from Ferris High School in 1975.
Political newcomers hope to oust Ormsby
Two newcomers to politics say it’s time for a change in the state House seat held by veteran Democrat Timm Ormsby. But Ormsby, who has held the 3rd District position since 2003, points to his experience and says having spent most of his life in Spokane, he’s intimately knowledgeable of how the state can assist what is often labeled Washington’s poorest legislative district.
3rd Legislative District, position 2
Hector E. Martinet Personal: 46, no party preference. Born in California. Moved to Spokane in 1990. Divorced. Has three grown children.
6th Legislative District
John E. Ahern Personal: 75. Republican. Married. Has three grown children.