u 2012 Washington Primary

Thought I was coming down with the flu at first. Dull headache. Depression. Irritability … Read more

Candidates for Spokane County Commission will face off Wednesday evening in student-led debates hosted by the Central Valley High School’s Government Club. The club also has invited the candidates in the hotly-contest Spokane Valley race for state House between incumbent Republican Matt Shea and Democrat Amy Biviano. Biviano is scheduled to attend. … Read more

Shelly O’Quinn wants to make a difference, she says. So she’s running as a Republican for an open seat on the Spokane Board of County Commissioners. At 37, O’Quinn believes her job experience and education qualify her. Read more

Former television newsman Daryl Romeyn is making a second run at elective office this fall in a race for an open seat on the Spokane County Board of Commissioners. Romeyn, a Democrat, is facing Republican Shelly O’Quinn, also in her second attempt to win an election. Read more

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell talks with Daryl Romeyn, a candidate for Spokane County commissioner, at the county Democratic Party's fund-raiser in Riverfront Park. Every couple of weeks, some national pundit or cable news talking head ruminates about the “enthusiasm gap” for a certain set of voters. Sometimes the gap is diagnosed among Democrats, who were oh so excited to vote for Barack Obama in 2008, but now, not so much. … Read more

The most basic political position for either party is that of the Precinct Committee Officer, a job with no pay, limited authority, and the potential for significant demands on the office holder’s time. In theory, Democrats and Republicans should each elect a PCO for each of Spokane County’s 314 precincts every two years, although in many years the parties often go begging for willing candidates, and when they find one, there’s no contest for the job. Not this year. … Read more

Spokane Valley Republican Matt Shea will seek a third term in the state House of Representatives, not the open seat on the Spokane County Board of Commissioners. Shea had been mentioned as a possible contender for the commission seat after two-term incumbent Mark Richard announced last week he would not run for re-election. Wednesday morning, however, Shea scheduled a formal kickoff for a House re-election campaign for Tuesday evening at Felts Field. Read more

Former City Councilman Bob Apple and former KREM-TV weatherman Daryl Romeyn are contemplating bids for Spokane County Commission. Both would run for the seat held by Republican Commissioner Mark Richard. He announced last weekthat he would not seek a third term. Republican Shelly O'Quinn,who works for Greater Spokane Inc., immediately announced her candidacy and earned the endorsements of all three county commissioners. Apple said on Monday that he is talking to Democrats about running. … Read more

GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. rally Friday evening at the Spokane Convention Center, and is picking up endorsements in and around Spokane. State Rep. Matt Shea, Spokane County Treasurer Rob Chase, and Republican Central Committeemembers John Christina of Spokane and Karen Skoog of Elk all endorsedPaul, the campaign announced today. Many of those endorsements come as  no surprise. … Read more

A former dean of Gonzaga University Law School is among the Democrats considering a campaign against Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers next year. Dan Morrissey, who served as dean from 2001-’04 and now teaches corporate law at the school, said he is exploring his prospects for a race and expects to decide by next month. Read more

A former dean of Gonzaga University Law School is among Democrats considering a campaign against Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers next year. Dan Morrissey, who served as dean from 2001-04 and now teaches corporate law at the school, said he is exploring his prospects for a race and expects to decide by next month. “I’m testing the waters,” he said, which includes speaking to party gatherings in Eastern Washington’s 5th Congressional District and discussions with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, a group that recruits and raises money for candidates.  Morrissey, 63, is one of several Democrats that party sources have named as a potential challenger to McMorris Rodgers, a member of the House GOP leadership who would be seeking a fifth term in 2012. Also among the potential candidates: outgoing Spokane Mayor Mary Verner, longtime Spokane television reporter Daryl Romeyn, who won the Democratic primary in the 5th Congressional District last year but lost to McMorris Rodgers in the general election, and Rich Cowan, chief executive officer of North by Northwest productions. Whoever runs could face an uphill battle… Read more