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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Election Season Not Official Until Candidates Officially File

It may come as a shock to most voters that the election season does not officially start until tomorrow.

After all, labor unions and business groups already have spent thousands of dollars flooding the airwaves in an ad war over U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt.

Eleven candidates with at least an arguable chance of being elected governor have announced campaigns - and one even has dropped out.

Yard signs are sprouting faster than dandelions along arterials.

But on the state calendar, the election officially begins this week, when candidates can file for office.

They have until 5 p.m. Friday to fill out forms and plunk down 1 percent of the annual salary of the office they are seeking.

Or they can do what Don McCloskey, a Democrat running for Congress, says he will do - get the signature of one registered voter to substitute for each dollar in the filing fee. Because a congressman makes $133,600 a year, McCloskey needs 1,336 valid voters’ signatures to get a line on the primary ballot.

Gathering signatures, McCloskey said, is in keeping with his plans for a grass-roots campaign. Pay attention to that phrase - every candidate feels obligated to utter it at least once before the primary is over.

McCloskey, a former psychologist who works as a mediation consultant, already faces Judy Olson, a former president of the National Association of Wheatgrowers, and Sue Kaun, the former general manager of the Liberty Lake Sewer District, in the Democratic primary to oppose Nethercutt, a freshman Republican.

Nethercutt has no announced Republican opponent. But one can always surface this week in that race or any other.

The most crowded field - if all announced candidates file - probably will be in the race for the office Gov. Mike Lowry is vacating.

Six Republicans - most of whom were anxious to run before allegations of sexual harassment forced Lowry out - have been criss-crossing the state for months.

They are former state Sen. Ellen Craswell of Poulsbo, King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng, state Sen. Pam Roach of Auburn, Tacoma attorney Jim Waldo, state Rep. Dale Foreman of Wenatchee and former King County GOP Chairwoman Nona Brazier. Retired airline pilot Bob Tharp of Vancouver also is making the rounds.

Three Democrats also want the job - Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, King County Executive Gary Locke and former U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee. State Sen. Nita Rinehart, the first Democrat to challenge Lowry, dropped out earlier this month when she couldn’t raise enough money to campaign.

The state superintendent of public instruction and the lieutenant governor’s race also are crowded because incumbents are retiring. Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn, a Democrat, has drawn four Republican challengers.

Spokane voters won’t get much relief by sticking to races close to home. County Commissioner Steve Hasson has four opponents - three of them from his newly adopted Republican Party.

Central Spokane’s 3rd District and the Spokane Valley’s 4th District each have state Senate races. With Democratic Rep. Dennis Dellwo retiring and state Rep. Lisa Brown, a Democrat, challenging Sen. John Moyer, a Republican in the 3rd, that district is poised to have at least two new legislators and a wild campaign season.

The other three legislative districts that have all or part of their voters in Spokane County just elect House members this year.

For those who have a yen for politics, but don’t want the expense of a big campaign, there’s one office that’s often overlooked, that of precinct committee officer.

Each of the county’s 375 precincts is allowed to elect one Democrat and one Republican to conduct party business. The jobs don’t pay anything - and often go empty for their entire two-year term.

But on the bright side, the filing fee is only $1.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: OFFICES AVAILABLE FOR FILING Here is a list of the offices for which candidates can file this week: Governor Lieutenant Governor State Auditor State Treasurer Superintendent of Public Instruction Public Lands Commissioner Insurance Commissioner Secretary of State Three state Supreme Court seats U.S. House of Representatives

The state Legislature: In Spokane County, that includes a state Senate seat and two House of Representative seats in the 3rd and 4th districts, and two House seats in the 6th, 7th and 9th districts Spokane County Commissioner District 1 Spokane County Commissioner District 2 Spokane County District Court Position 3 (held by Mike Padden, who was appointed to fill an unexpired term) All Superior Court positions Precinct committee officer

This sidebar appeared with the story: OFFICES AVAILABLE FOR FILING Here is a list of the offices for which candidates can file this week: Governor Lieutenant Governor State Auditor State Treasurer Superintendent of Public Instruction Public Lands Commissioner Insurance Commissioner Secretary of State Three state Supreme Court seats U.S. House of Representatives

The state Legislature: In Spokane County, that includes a state Senate seat and two House of Representative seats in the 3rd and 4th districts, and two House seats in the 6th, 7th and 9th districts Spokane County Commissioner District 1 Spokane County Commissioner District 2 Spokane County District Court Position 3 (held by Mike Padden, who was appointed to fill an unexpired term) All Superior Court positions Precinct committee officer